In-Group Framing And Self-Comparison In Sustainable Consumption

Encouraging consumers to behave in a sustainable manner by increasing the number of sustainable actions, remains a challenge for social marketers to date. This study examines the effects of in-group framing and self-comparison salience on intention to increase the number of sustainable actions. The results of a 3-factorial between-subjects experiment show that with positive in-group framed messages, consumer’s intention to increase the number of sustainable behaviours was significantly higher among participants making upward comparison, versus participants exposed to negative in-group framed messages. However, when downward self-comparison is made, neither positive nor negative in-group framed messages had any effect on consumer’s sustainable behavioral intentions. The results highlight conditions under which communicating information about the behaviors of relevant in-group members can be used to spur consumer engagement in sustainable actions. The study extends social comparison theory by demonstrating that comparisons occurring in positive framing conditions have implications for future behavioral intentions.