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Less is more in energy conservation and efficiency messaging

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  • Farrow, Katherine
  • Grolleau, Gilles
  • Mzoughi, Naoufel

Abstract

Campaigns aiming to encourage people to reduce their energy consumption frequently make three well-intentioned but inadvertent mistakes in their communications strategies. These mistakes are driven by a deeply embedded yet often counterproductive popular intuition: that ‘more is better.’ We identify three messaging pitfalls that can result from this assumption, namely that a message will be more persuasive if it emphasizes the greatest number of people engaging in undesirable behavior, the greatest number of victims of such behavior, and the greatest number of reasons why one should adopt particular energy conservation and efficiency measures. We cite experimental evidence demonstrating that these strategies can in fact reduce the persuasive power of a message, and review several underlying psychological mechanisms that may explain these counterproductive effects. Finally, we provide a number of alternative messaging strategies that are likely to improve the performance of energy conservation campaigns.

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  • Farrow, Katherine & Grolleau, Gilles & Mzoughi, Naoufel, 2018. "Less is more in energy conservation and efficiency messaging," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 1-6.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:122:y:2018:i:c:p:1-6
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2018.07.007
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    Cited by:

    1. Katherine Farrow & Gilles Grolleau & Naoufel Mzoughi, 2018. "What in the Word! The Scope for the Effect of Word Choice on Economic Behavior," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 71(4), pages 557-580, November.
    2. Zhao, Hongli & Lin, Boqiang, 2019. "Will agglomeration improve the energy efficiency in China’s textile industry: Evidence and policy implications," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 237(C), pages 326-337.
    3. Anna Borawska & Mariusz Borawski & Małgorzata Łatuszyńska, 2022. "Effectiveness of Electricity-Saving Communication Campaigns: Neurophysiological Approach," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-19, February.
    4. Chen, Huangxin & Shi, Yi & Zhao, Xin, 2022. "Investment in renewable energy resources, sustainable financial inclusion and energy efficiency: A case of US economy," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    5. Goldfarb, Jillian L. & Kriner, Douglas L., 2021. "U.S. public support for biofuels tax credits: Cost frames, local fuel prices, and the moderating influence of partisanship," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).

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