Observing the unobservable: a field experiment on early adopters of a climate-friendly behavior

Gosnell, Greer, Carattini, Stefano and Tavoni, Alessandro ORCID: 0000-0002-2057-5720 (2021) Observing the unobservable: a field experiment on early adopters of a climate-friendly behavior. Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment Working Paper, 365. Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK.

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Abstract

Encouraging rapid and widespread adoption of non-normative climate-friendly behaviors represents a crucial challenge for practitioners and policymakers alike, and a new frontier in the transition to a greener economy. Yet, several such behaviors are unobservable and undertaken privately. We devise a novel approach that makes household renewable energy use visible to peers through yard signs and window clings, thus creating social rewards for early adopters and sending a signal within their communities. We implement a field experiment comprising over 20,000 customers of a renewable energy utility in the United Kingdom and find that a significant proportion are intrinsically motivated to put their invisible climate-friendly behavior on display. Indeed, participation and display are identical across treatments with and without a financial incentive.

Item Type:	Monograph (Working Paper)
Official URL:	https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/publicatio...
Additional Information:	© 2021 The Authors
Divisions:	Grantham Research Institute
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GF Human ecology. Anthropogeography
Date Deposited:	19 Jul 2021 12:48
Last Modified:	15 Sep 2023 23:54
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/111058

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