Killing the bill: The interplay of social comparisons and financial information on preferences for electricity-saving behaviors

Fabien Giauque, Mehdi Farsi, Sylvain Weber () and Michael Puntiroli

No 25-02, IRENE Working Papers from IRENE Institute of Economic Research

Abstract: Using a discrete choice experiment (DCE), we analyze how social comparisons and financial information influence households' preferences and trade-offs among three sustainable electricity demand behaviors: conservation actions, efficiency investments, and purchasing a green power mix. Our results show that while a strong majority favors sustainable behaviors over inaction, both interventions significantly increase the likelihood of choosing inaction. Heterogeneity analyses reveal that this negative effect is driven by households with above-average consumption. Furthermore, our findings highlight conflicting motivational mechanisms, suggesting that financial information within normative messages may crowd out intrinsic motivation.

Keywords: Electricity-saving behaviors, households' preferences, social comparisons, financial information; discrete choice experiment, mixed logit (MXL) model, crowding out effect (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D12 D91 Q48 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 28 pages.
Date: 2025-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dcm
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