Motivating the selfish to stop idling: Self-interest cues can improve environmentally relevant driver behaviour

van de Vyer, Julie, Abrams, Dominic, Hopthrow, Tim, Purewall, Kiran, Randsley de Moura, Georgina and Meleady, Rose ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4671-4960 (2018) Motivating the selfish to stop idling: Self-interest cues can improve environmentally relevant driver behaviour. Transportation Research Part F: Psychology and Behaviour, 54. 79–85. ISSN 1369-8478

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Abstract

Air pollution has a huge and negative impact on society, and idling engines are a major contributor to air pollution. The current paper draws on evolutionary models of environmental behaviour to test whether appeals to self-interest can encourage drivers to turn off their engines at long wait stops. Using an experimental design, drivers were shown one of three self-interest appeals (financial, health, kin) while waiting at a congested level-crossing site in the UK. Results showed that all three self-interest appeals increased the chances of drivers turning off their engines compared to the control condition. Specifically, drivers were approximately twice as likely to turn off their engines in the self-interest conditions (39-41% compliance) compared to drivers in the control condition (22% compliance). Thus, selfinterest motives can be effective for promoting pro-environmental behavioural compliance. Theoretical and applied implications of this research are discussed.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	self-interest,pro-environmental behaviour,kin,behavioural change,engines
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Psychology
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Centres > Centre for Behavioural and Experimental Social Sciences Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Social Cognition Research Group Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Cognition, Action and Perception
Depositing User:	Pure Connector
Date Deposited:	23 Jan 2018 14:30
Last Modified:	20 Apr 2023 00:48
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/66047
DOI:	10.1016/j.trf.2018.01.015

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