When virtue is its own reward: How norms influence consumers’ willingness to recycle and reuse

Sustainable waste management is becoming increasingly difficult with rising populations and soaring consumption patterns. Better recycling and reuse practices not only provide economic and environmental benefits, but also align with the larger goal of promoting circularity. Applying the theory of normative social behavior, this study examines how subjective, personal, and descriptive norms influence New York State residents’ willingness to recycle and reuse, based on two rounds of survey data collected from representative samples (N_Study1 = 1010; N_Study2 = 1003). Results indicate that descriptive norm serves as the “initiator” and personal norm serves as the immediate “predictor” of behavioral willingness. These findings have practical implications for public communication about pro-environmental behaviors.