The benefits of less: The effect of sufficiency gain framing on sufficiency behavior

Manuel Suter, Simon Rabaa and Andrea Essl

Ecological Economics, 2025, vol. 231, issue C

Abstract: Sufficiency strategies aimed at reduced production and consumption levels have a high potential to help combat environmental issues. There is limited knowledge on how to promote voluntary sufficiency behaviors at the individual level. In an online experiment with participants from the United States (n = 1317), we examine the effect of providing information about different sufficiency benefits to nature, society, or the individual on sufficiency behavior. Sufficiency behavior was measured by participants' decision between an Amazon voucher and donating to an organization that fosters sufficiency projects. The results show that the individual sufficiency gain framing leads to a significantly higher amount of Amazon voucher waived compared to a neutral control group. Informing about individual sufficiency benefits, such as more free time and better mental health, may be fruitful in promoting sufficiency behavior.

Keywords: Sufficiency behavior; Sufficiency gain framing; Pro-environmental behavior; Laboratory experiment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C91 D91 Q50 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:231:y:2025:i:c:s0921800925000448

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2025.108561

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