The Dynamics of Goal Setting: Evidence From a Field Experiment on Resource Conservation

In a field experiment at two residential colleges, we use moral suasion and real-time feedback to examine how residents respond to different goals on shower water use over time. In phase 1 of our intervention, we find significant conservation effects for residents assigned to either the hard or moderate goal, but surprisingly detect no significant differences between both groups. When the goals are adjusted to a common, intermediate level in phase 2, we see a divergence in average treatment effects, driven by underperformance of the group with the initial hard goal. Interestingly, we find that high baseline users in the moderate goal group display larger conservation effects throughout the intervention, but this pattern is not observed in their counterparts with the initial hard goal. Our results suggest that setting too hard a goal can permanently diminish motivation, and adjusting the goal does not undo the initial damage.