School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, Northeastern University.
Department of Psychology, Northeastern University.
Psychol Sci Public Interest. 2022 Oct;23(2):50-97. doi: 10.1177/15291006221105279.
Anthropogenic carbon emissions have the potential to trigger changes in climate and ecosystems that would be catastrophic for the well-being of humans and other species. Widespread shifts in production and consumption patterns are urgently needed to address climate change. Although transnational agreements and national policy are necessary for a transition to a fully decarbonized global economy, fluctuating political priorities and lobbying by vested interests have slowed these efforts. Against this backdrop, bottom-up pressure from social movements and shifting social norms may offer a complementary path to a more sustainable economy. Furthermore, norm change may be an important component of decarbonization policies by accelerating or strengthening the impacts of other demand-side measures. Individual actions and policy support are social processes-they are intimately linked to expectations about the actions and beliefs of others. Although prevailing social norms often reinforce the status quo and unsustainable development pathways, social dynamics can also create widespread and rapid shifts in cultural values and practices, including increasing pressure on politicians to enact ambitious policy. We synthesize literature on social-norm influence, measurement, and change from the perspectives of psychology, anthropology, sociology, and economics. We discuss the opportunities and challenges for the use of social-norm and social-tipping interventions to promote climate action. Social-norm interventions aimed at addressing climate change or other social dilemmas are promising but no panacea. They require in-depth contextual knowledge, ethical consideration, and situation-specific tailoring and testing to understand whether they can be effectively implemented at scale. Our review aims to provide practitioners with insights and tools to reflect on the promises and pitfalls of such interventions in diverse contexts.
人为碳排放有可能引发气候和生态系统的变化，这将对人类和其他物种的福祉造成灾难性影响。为了解决气候变化问题，迫切需要广泛改变生产和消费模式。尽管跨国协议和国家政策对于向完全脱碳的全球经济过渡是必要的，但不断变化的政治优先事项和既得利益集团的游说活动减缓了这些努力。在这种背景下，社会运动和不断变化的社会规范的自下而上的压力可能为更可持续的经济提供一条补充途径。此外，规范的改变可能是脱碳政策的一个重要组成部分，因为它可以加速或加强其他需求侧措施的影响。个人行动和政策支持是社会进程——它们与对他人行动和信念的期望密切相关。尽管普遍的社会规范常常强化现状和不可持续的发展途径，但社会动态也可以在文化价值观和实践方面迅速广泛地发生变化，包括对政治家施加更大的压力，以制定雄心勃勃的政策。我们从心理学、人类学、社会学和经济学的角度综合了关于社会规范影响、衡量和改变的文献。我们讨论了利用社会规范和社会倾斜干预措施来促进气候行动的机会和挑战。针对气候变化或其他社会困境的社会规范干预措施很有希望，但不是万能的。它们需要深入的背景知识、伦理考虑以及针对具体情况的定制和测试，以了解它们是否可以在大规模实施。我们的综述旨在为实践者提供见解和工具，以反思此类干预措施在不同背景下的利弊。
