A Values-based Approach to Campaigns and Communications

Tim Kasser Tom Crompton

Values & Goals

• Guiding principles in life • Affect people’s attitudes towards particular objects and policies • Orient people to engage in particular behaviors • Many different types of values and goals exist

Values & Goals

• Organized in systems • Validated in many nations around world • Some values are compatible, others in conflict • Data can be represented with circumplex models – Compatible values are next to each other – Conflicting values are on opposite sides

Self-Direction Universalism Stimulation Hedonism Achievement Power Benevolence Conformity Security Tradition

Values

Schwartz (1992)

• Self-enhancing values – Social power, wealth, authority, successful, influential

Self-Direction Universalism Stimulation Hedonism Achievement Power Benevolence Conformity Security Tradition

Values

Schwartz (1992)

• Self-enhancing values – Social power, wealth, authority, successful, influential • Self-transcendent values – Helpful, responsible, mature love, social justice, equality, a world of beauty, protecting the environment

Conformity

Extrinsic

Popularity Image Financial success

Self-transcendence

Spirituality Community

Intrinsic

Affiliation Self-acceptance Hedonism

Physical self

Physical health Safety

Goals

Grouzet et al. (2005); Kasser & Ryan (1996)

• Extrinsic – “I will have enough money to buy everything I want.” – “I will achieve the ‘look’ I've been after.” – “I will be admired by many people.”

Conformity

Extrinsic

Popularity Image Financial success

Self-transcendence

Spirituality Community

Intrinsic

Affiliation Self-acceptance Hedonism

Physical self

Physical health Safety

Goals

Grouzet et al. (2005); Kasser & Ryan (1996)

• Extrinsic – “I will have enough money to buy everything I want.” – “I will achieve the ‘look’ I've been after.” – “I will be admired by many people.” • Intrinsic - “I will express my love for special people.” - “I will help the world become a better place.” - “I will assist people who need it, asking nothing in return.”

Two Applications

• Dispositions – General priority placed on values in system – Stable over time – Personal value dispositions are differentially correlated with ecological attitudes and behaviors

Eco-Attitudes

• Attitudes towards the environment – Good (2007); Saunders & Munro (2000) • Concern about effects of environmental damage on other people, animals, and future generations – Schultz et al. (2005)

Eco-Behaviors

• Amount of forest harvested in social dilemma games – Sheldon & McGregor (2000) • Frequency of riding bikes, recycling, re-use, etc. – Gatersleben et al. (in prep.); Kasser (2005); Richins & Dawson (1992) • Size of Ecological Footprint – 400 N Americans – transportation, housing, food – Brown & Kasser (2005)

Ecological Outcomes & Materialism

Hurst, Dittmar, Bond, & Kasser (2013) Ecological

Attitudes Behaviors

k

8 9

r

-.22

-.24

95% C.I.

-.33, -.11

-.30, -.17

Note: Correlations not corrected for reliability; Materialism includes Extrinsic vs. Intrinsic + other measures

Two Applications

• Dispositions • Activation of values: – Bleed-over effect – activation supports and encourages attitudes and behaviors consistent with those values – See-saw effect – activation suppresses and discourages attitudes and behaviors in conflict with those values

Self-Direction Universalism Stimulation Hedonism Achievement Power Benevolence Conformity Security Tradition

Activation of Eco-Behavior

Vansteenkiste et al. (2004)

• Belgian education students • Asked to read a text on recycling framed as: – Helping the community (intrinsic) – Saving money (extrinsic) • Compared to those given Extrinsic frames, those given Intrinsic frames: – Learned material more deeply – Were more likely to visit library to learn more – Were more likely to go on later trip to recycling plant

Activation of Eco-Behavior

Maio et al. (2011)

• Students completed survey about extent to which car sharing – Saves money – Protects the environment • Then designed logo & disposed of draft drawings

Recycling Experimental Condition

Influencing E/SE People

Chilton et al. (2011)

• Screened > 700 UK adults and chose 30 people scoring in top 10% on SE Values • Came to lab and wrote about reasons why 3 values were important – E/SE values: Popularity, image, wealth – I/ST values: Acceptance, affiliation, broadminded

Influencing E/SE People

Chilton et al. (2011)

• Underwent standardized interview on four topics – Climate change & Loss of UK countryside – Child mortality in developing nations & Poverty among UK children • Linguist naïve to primes coded interviews

Someone vs. No one should Act

Use of language – E/SE Primed

• P 007 – “Mm, what would motivate me? I suppose money if there was a financial incentive to be more proactive…I do tend to switch things off but that’s more a case of me saving money in electricity than thinking oh that’s gonna help the world.”

Use of language – I/ST Primed

• P 026 – “I do think that the earth and the environment is precious and valuable...I think it should be at the top of the political agenda…I think that the world that we pass on to the next generation, you know, is, is, is our responsibility.”

Sustainability Climate Change Recycling Car Share

Sustainability Climate Change Diet Car Share

Sustainability Climate Change Car Share Diet

Sustainability Climate Change Helping People in Developing Nations Diet

Summary

• Rather than focus on rewards, punishments, and E/ST goals • Focus on encouraging and activating Intrinsic/Self-transcendent Values

Thanks!