Data from Cultural influences on the effects of social norm appeals

This study reports on an experimental test of the effects of descriptive and injunctive norm appeals on intentions to prevent food waste in China and the United States (<i>N</i> = 1449), testing the role of cultural context and group orientation in this process. Results showed that the main effects of descriptive and injunctive norm messages on behavioural intentions were mediated by normative perceptions, and cultural context moderated both paths of this mediation. Specifically, with the same message exposure, Chinese participants perceived food waste prevention as more prevalent and socially approved compared to US participants. Normative perceptions interacted with cultural context to influence behavioural intentions, such that both descriptive and injunctive norm perceptions predicted stronger intentions to prevent food waste among Chinese participants compared to Americans. Group orientation yielded a main effect on behavioural intentions, instead of the moderation effects as expected. Findings suggest the need for culturally grounded and contextualized approaches to communication of social norms, as well as building cultural concepts into theories of social norms.This article is part of the theme issue ‘Social Norm Change: From Evolution to Policy Intervention’.

本研究针对中国与美国地区（N=1449）的食物浪费预防行为意向，开展了描述性规范诉求（descriptive norm appeals）与指令性规范诉求（injunctive norm appeals）影响效应的实验检验，并探讨了文化情境与群体导向在该过程中的作用。研究结果显示，描述性与指令性规范信息对行为意向的主效应通过规范认知（normative perceptions）得以中介，且文化情境对该中介过程的两条路径均存在调节作用。具体而言，在接收相同信息的前提下，相较于美国被试，中国被试会将食物浪费预防行为感知为更为普遍且更获社会认可的行为。规范认知与文化情境共同交互影响行为意向：相较于美国被试，描述性与指令性规范认知均能更强地预测中国被试的食物浪费预防行为意向。群体导向对行为意向产生了主效应，而非研究预期的调节效应。本研究结果提示，开展社会规范传播需采用根植于文化情境的定制化路径，同时应将文化维度融入社会规范相关理论体系之中。本文隶属于专题议题“社会规范变革：从演化到政策干预”（Social Norm Change: From Evolution to Policy Intervention）。