Norms, Norm Sets, and Reference Groups: Implications for Household Interest in Energy Technologies
Household adoption of rooftop solar panels and battery storage can potentially reduce the negative environmental impacts of the electric grid. We argue that the number of socially close (friends and family) and geographically close (neighbors) others who have rooftop solar panels will affect norm ex...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2021-08-01
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| Series: | Socius |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/23780231211039035 |
| _version_ | 1831794709881683968 |
|---|---|
| author | Christine Horne Thomas Familia |
| author_facet | Christine Horne Thomas Familia |
| author_sort | Christine Horne |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Household adoption of rooftop solar panels and battery storage can potentially reduce the negative environmental impacts of the electric grid. We argue that the number of socially close (friends and family) and geographically close (neighbors) others who have rooftop solar panels will affect norm expectations regarding how much others approve of solar panels and battery storage and expectations about how personally beneficial those technologies are likely to be. We test our hypotheses using survey data collected from California homeowners and find partial support. We find evidence for the significance of socially close others (rather than neighbors), highlighting the importance of identifying the appropriate reference groups when studying norms. Our results also provide insight into how one category of behavior (adoption of solar panels) can influence norm expectations about another less visible behavior (battery storage), suggesting a mechanism that may contribute to norms regulating private behaviors. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T15:53:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3f7ca534b9c240e8ae20b92ede5d77e5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2378-0231 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T15:53:58Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Socius |
| spelling | doaj.art-3f7ca534b9c240e8ae20b92ede5d77e52022-12-21T18:20:49ZengSAGE PublishingSocius2378-02312021-08-01710.1177/23780231211039035Norms, Norm Sets, and Reference Groups: Implications for Household Interest in Energy TechnologiesChristine Horne0Thomas Familia1Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USAWashington State University, Pullman, WA, USAHousehold adoption of rooftop solar panels and battery storage can potentially reduce the negative environmental impacts of the electric grid. We argue that the number of socially close (friends and family) and geographically close (neighbors) others who have rooftop solar panels will affect norm expectations regarding how much others approve of solar panels and battery storage and expectations about how personally beneficial those technologies are likely to be. We test our hypotheses using survey data collected from California homeowners and find partial support. We find evidence for the significance of socially close others (rather than neighbors), highlighting the importance of identifying the appropriate reference groups when studying norms. Our results also provide insight into how one category of behavior (adoption of solar panels) can influence norm expectations about another less visible behavior (battery storage), suggesting a mechanism that may contribute to norms regulating private behaviors.https://doi.org/10.1177/23780231211039035 |
| spellingShingle | Christine Horne Thomas Familia Norms, Norm Sets, and Reference Groups: Implications for Household Interest in Energy Technologies Socius |
| title | Norms, Norm Sets, and Reference Groups: Implications for Household Interest in Energy Technologies |
| title_full | Norms, Norm Sets, and Reference Groups: Implications for Household Interest in Energy Technologies |
| title_fullStr | Norms, Norm Sets, and Reference Groups: Implications for Household Interest in Energy Technologies |
| title_full_unstemmed | Norms, Norm Sets, and Reference Groups: Implications for Household Interest in Energy Technologies |
| title_short | Norms, Norm Sets, and Reference Groups: Implications for Household Interest in Energy Technologies |
| title_sort | norms norm sets and reference groups implications for household interest in energy technologies |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/23780231211039035 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT christinehorne normsnormsetsandreferencegroupsimplicationsforhouseholdinterestinenergytechnologies AT thomasfamilia normsnormsetsandreferencegroupsimplicationsforhouseholdinterestinenergytechnologies |