Descriptive Social Norms as Underappreciated Sources of Social Control

Bockenholt and van der Heijden's results regarding compliance with insurance regulations--that the enforcement activities of a regulatory agency were relatively unpredictive of compliance--are consistent with findings from other domains (e.g., tax adherence), where personal factors and informal...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychometrika 2007-06, Vol.72 (2), p.263-268
Main Author: Cialdini, Robert B
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavior Standards
Behavioral Science Research
Beliefs
Biological and medical sciences
Compliance
Compliance (Psychology)
Conservation (Environment)
Energy
Enforcement
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Health Insurance
Laws
Miscellaneous
Noncompliance
Norms
Perceptions
Physical Environment
Psychological Studies
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Psychometrics
Psychometrics. Statistics. Methodology
Regulatory agencies
Resistance (Psychology)
Social Behavior
Social Control
Social Influences
Social Networks
Social norms
Social psychology
Society
Statistical Data
Statistics. Mathematics
Tax evasion
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Summary:Bockenholt and van der Heijden's results regarding compliance with insurance regulations--that the enforcement activities of a regulatory agency were relatively unpredictive of compliance--are consistent with findings from other domains (e.g., tax adherence), where personal factors and informal social controls have been shown to play a more significant role. However, the specific form of informal social control investigated in Bockenholt and van der Heijden's study (the perceived approval/disapproval of friends and family) is not the only kind of informal social control that has proven effective in spurring compliance. Descriptive social norms, which involve perceptions not of what others approve but of what others actually do, also influence compliance decisions powerfully. Yet, the role of descriptive social norms in rule adherence is often underappreciated by governed and governors alike. The consequences of this relative lack of recognition are discussed within the arena of compliance with pro-environmental regulations and requests.
ISSN:0033-3123
1860-0980
DOI:10.1007/s11336-006-1560-6