Social norms based eco-feedback for household water consumption

Ramli, Ukasha (2021) Social norms based eco-feedback for household water consumption. Sustainability, 13 (5). ISSN 2071-1050

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Abstract

Physical water scarcity is a growing threat to people’s lives around the world. Non-pecuniary interventions that encourage water conservation amongst households are an effective tool to promote sustainable consumption. In a randomised field experiment on 3461 UK households, a social norms based eco-feedback intervention was found to reduce water consumption by around 5.43 L a day or by 1.8% over 29 months. This effect did not persist for the 10 months after the intervention was stopped suggesting a lack of habit formation. Unlike previous studies, households with low consumption at baseline reduced their consumption the most, while high consumers did not. Heterogeneity was also found across quantile treatment effects, where households in the top and bottom quantiles increased their consumption. These results further contribute to the growing evidence on the effectiveness of combining social norms and eco-feedback as an intervention for conservation.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability
Additional Information:	© 2021 The Author
Divisions:	Psychological and Behavioural Science
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
Date Deposited:	19 Mar 2021 09:57
Last Modified:	12 Dec 2024 02:29
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/109245

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