Want to make your rivals green with envy?
One of the best ways to encourage someone to make green choices such as starting to recycle is to tell them that people they see as their rivals – those in groups they consider to be competition – are already doing this.
A UBC study released June 5 found that for most behaviours, people try to conform and are encouraged to change based on what their peers are doing. But for green activities, seeing their colleagues doing this leads to nothing being done.
“Past research suggests that people tend to follow the herd, copying individuals they identify with – neighbours, colleagues, friends,” says study co-author and associate professor at Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia Katherine White.
“But when it comes to eco-conscious behaviour, we found the only way to get people to up their game was to tell them a rival group was doing better.”
What does this mean in practice?
The study said that if a city wishes to promote composting, recycling and other green behaviours, it should promote competition between different neighbourhoods, for example.
