Encouraging acceptance of automated heat adjustment through framing of regulatory focus and social identities
Mon-A8-Talk I-02
Presented by: Celina Kacperski
Individuals are motivated towards pro-environmental behavior in a variety of ways. One approach can be through activation of their social identities, by emphasizing the collective (vs individual) benefits of a behavior. Another approach is framing regulatory focus, where promotion or prevention strategies towards achieving a behavior can be emphasized. We investigated these two concepts in a 2x2 experimental design, for intention to reduce indoor heating. Changes in heating behavior have previously been shown to contribute greatly to reduction in energy consumption, but not much research into possible interventions yet exists. Beyond the main effects, the interaction is of interest, as previous research suggests a fit effect of prevention focus with a collective framing. Our survey (N = 455 from Austria) presented a comic introducing an automated heat demand response scheme (i.e., allowing one's heat provider to reduce and increase room temperature within a temperature band depending on available renewable energy), framed in either individual vs collective terms, as well as promotion vs prevention terms, followed by a measure for intention to participate in such a scheme. Results show a significant effect of the promotion intervention (b = .495, p = .032) and a marginal effect of the interaction (b = .564, p = 0.080) in the expected direction, where we hypothesized a collective framing interacting with the prevention strategy. Further investigation into the effects of regulatory focus framings on collective pro-environmental intentions and behaviours is encouraged.
Keywords: regulatory focus theory, social identity, pro-environmental behavior intentions, heating reduction, demand response schemes