Social norms and environmental friendly behaviour: Ilorin households case study

SOCIAL NORMS AND ENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLY BEHAVIOUR: A CASE STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS IN ILORIN WEST, ILORIN

The survey of what the functions of societal norms on environmental friendly behavior is still at its nascent phase, particularly in the development states. This survey, hence, investigated the determiners of environmental friendly behavior among families in Ilorin West, Kwara province. Descriptive study research design utilizing structured questionnaires to roll up information from mark respondents was adopted for the survey. The information sourced covered injunctive norms, descriptive norms and environmental consciousness of the respondents.

The informations collected from the study were analyzed utilizing the arrested development method. Findingss from the survey show that attributes such as descriptive norms and environmental concern have important positive consequence on environmental friendly behavior among families, while injunctive societal norm does non hold important impact on environmental friendly behavior. There is, hence, demand for the authorities at all grades to form to pull off and act upon descriptive societal norm through instruction, run, propaganda, advertisement etc.

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which will include self-efficacy intercession capable of heightening environmental friendly behaviour.

Keywords: descriptive norms, Injunctive norms, Environment, sustainability, behavior, arrested development

Introduction

One of the major jobs facing the Nigerian society is environmental debasement. Nigeria physical environment is one of the most contaminated in the World. It has been progressively polluted by assorted semisynthetic economic activities such as oil geographic expedition, gas flaring, industrial and natural waste discharge and the most common one is the emanation of C into the ambiance. Desertification, urbanisation, deforestation, overpopulation and pollution have become of import paradigms in Nigeria in the last three decennaries.

The unwise usage of the natural environment due to ignorance, poorness, overpopulation and greed amongst others has led to the debasement of the environment.

Several Nigerian authoritiess since independency have tried to cut down the degree of environmental jobs by utilizing market-based instruments such as revenue enhancement, tradable emanation permits punishment, mulcts, and “command-and-control” ordinance such as apprehension of environment debasers, censoring or restricting importing of some pollution friendly merchandises, necessitating certain industries to utilize specific engineerings etc. However, the chief concern presently is that these market-based instruments and bid and control used in work outing the environmental jobs seem to be uneffective giving the continual happening of these jobs ( Ostromet al. ,2002 ) . It was argued that pollution revenue enhancement could be counter-productive. It hinders private sectors’ intrinsic motive to prosecute in some activities that could beneficial in the long tally ( Lepperet al. ,1973 ; Deci, 1975 ) . Besides, delegating the right degree of revenue enhancements is hard. Taxes cut down end product and rise monetary values, and this might hold inauspicious consequence consumer public assistance ( Laffont, 1995 ; Smith and Shogren, 2002 ) .

In the presence of the ineffectualness of these market –based and bid and controls used in commanding environmental jobs, bookmans such as Pradeep ( 2012 ) ; Ela ( 2009 ) ; Allcott ( 2011 ) ; Ayreset al. ,( 2009 ) etc. have suggested that pollution jobs be solved through societal context. It has been argued that societal norms has similar consequence as market and bid based instruments, and are effectual in altering behavior towards more environmental friendly patterns ( Shultzet al. ,2007 ; Allcott and Mullainathan, 2010 ; Allcott, 2011 ; Ayreset al. ,2009 ) . It was shown that a person’s behaviour conforms to her beliefs about what people really do in a given state of affairs ( Pradeep, 2012 ) . Gore ( 2000 ) maintains societal norms could educate persons to hold cognition of environmental jobs and their impact on their wellness and lives. It besides makes them good informed about the effectual manner of pull offing their environment.

By definition, societal norms refer to “rule regulating an individual’s behaviour that 3rd parties other than province agents diffusely enforce by agencies of societal sanction” ( Ellickson, 2001 ) . They are the regulations or imposts a societal group uses to mensurate appropriate and inappropriate behaviors, beliefs and attitudes, enforced normally informally through societal interactions. Social norms could be imposts, mores, tabu and jurisprudence. Social norms are of two types: injunctive and descriptive. Injunctive norms refer to “what persons perceive that others typically think they should do” ( e.g. , ‘‘you should recycle’’ ) , and descriptive norms describe what persons perceive that others typically really do ( e.g. , ‘‘most people really recycle’’ ) ( Pradeep, 2012 ) . It was argued that both types of norms, when intelligent, be given to promote norm-consistent behaviour ( Cialdini et al. , 2006 ) . This implies that including both norms in persuasive entreaties such as advertisement, runs, instruction etc. , can hold desired effects, since people tend to set their behaviour to prevalent norms in their community ( Cialdiniet al. ,2006, Schultzet al. ,2007 ; Ela 2009 ) .

Assorted surveies have recognized the functions of societal norms in environmental concern. Chenet al. ,( 2009 ) find that people are more likely to take part in an event if they know that their neighbours are take parting. Ferraro and Price ( 2013 ) find societal comparing messages can act upon household’s H2O use, particularly among families who are least sensitive to the monetary value. Social norms was noted be extremely influential in determining single behaviour and this determines the manner an single react to environmental jobs. A society with effectual traditions can extenuate environmental jobs by the people obeying the Torahs of the community, avoiding land littering, pollution, approving industries that dispose toxic wastes and carry oning regular environmental sanitation ( Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975 ; Triandis, 1977 ) .

Given that societal norms can be manipulated and channeled to desirable terminals, and it is a powerful in airting attending to environmental jobs and the demand to be environmental concern, it is interesting to analyze how societal norms help in environmental protection in Nigeria and how authorities can excite societal norms among Nigerians to accomplish sustainable environment. Hence, the aim of this survey is to analyze the relationship between societal norms and environmental friendly behavior in Ilorin, Nigeria.

Materials and Method

The population of this survey comprises of occupants of Ilorin West, Ilorin. From this country, a convenience trying method was used to choose 200 families. Survey was used to garner necessary informations for this survey. Structured questionnaires were administered to the selected pupils. The questionnaire consists of general information about respondents’ backgrounds and inquiries associating to four concepts: environmental friendly behaviour, environment concern, injunctive norms and descriptive societal norms. Questionnaire used was adapted from Pradeep ( 2012 ) . This questionnaire consists of inquiries that were used to operationalize these four concepts. To guarantee simpleness and get a higher response, the inquiries were somewhat modified to enable respondents to measure each of the scale points on a Likert point graduated table used for each statement where 1 = strongly disagree and 5 = strongly hold.Of the 200 questionnaires distributed, 176 questionnaires were to the full filled in and returned. This represents about 88 per centum of the entire sample selected for this survey. Cronbach Alpha was used to analyze the dependability of the four concepts: environmental friendly behaviour, environment concern, injunctive norms and descriptive societal norms. The dependability trial of each concept are higher than 0.7. This implies that the points concerned adequately step a individual concept for each tested variable as suggested by Hairet Al. , ( 1998 ) .

Data analysis method for the survey includes descriptive analysis which includes per centum, and frequence analysis. Regression analysis was used to look into the relationship between injunctive, descriptive norms and environmental concern on environmental friendly behavior. The arrested development theoretical account is written as ;

Environmental friendly behaviour = degree Fahrenheit ( Injunctive norms, descriptive norms, environmental concern )

Consequencesand Discussion

The environmental jobs confronting the Ilorin West community are legion but the most distinguishable 1s are land littering and garbage dumping ( 41 % ) , air pollution from dust and bad smell ( 32 % ) , noise from generators ( 18 % ) and sewerage ( 9 % ) . The land littering and garbage dumping is really common due to miss or inappropriate waste direction bearers from the province waste direction bureaus.

The descriptive analysis informs of lower limit, upper limit, mean and standard divergence for the concept are shown in table 1. The consequences in the tabular array are the summing up of all the points belong to each concept from the five-point Likert graduated table. Average tonss of environmental friendly behavior is 3.29705 ( =13.1882/4 ) in a five-point Likert graduated table. This show the respondents have somewhat high positive environmental friendly behavior. Based on the mean value of environmental concern 3.2548 ( 22.784/7 ) , it can be said the respondents had somewhat higher environmental concern. However, the mean value of injunctive societal norms 2.4664 ( 17.265/7 ) is somewhat low 2.5. This shows that most of the respondents do non hold strong injunctive norms and that duty of what should be done to keep a sustainable environment has non forced on the people in the community. Besides that, the norm means mark for descriptive societal norms is 4.4806 ( =26.8732/6 ) . This shows that most of the respondents feel the duty towards protecting the environment through recycling of refuse, purchasing environmental friendly merchandises etc.

Table 2: Descriptive statistics

REGRESSION RESULT

The arrested development consequence of the impact of societal norms and environmental concerns on environmental friendly behavior is presented below ;

Table 3: Arrested development consequence

Dependent variables: Purpose

** important at 5 per centum

The consequence shows high grade of goodness of tantrum. The coefficient of finding is about 74 per centum and the step of overall fittingness of the theoretical account ( F-statistic ) is important at 5 per centum. The theoretical account consequence shows that proposed factors ( environmental concern, injunctive norms, and descriptive norms ) have joint important impact on environmental friendly behavior. Besides, these factors explain about 74 per centum fluctuation in environmental friendly behavior in Ilorin West, Kwara province.

As can be seen from consequences, of the three factors, merely two have important impact on environmental friendly behavior. These are environmental concern and descriptive societal norms. Injunctive societal norms, although has positive coefficient, does non important impact on of environmental friendly behavior. The consequence shows that environmental concern and descriptive societal norms have a positive impact on environmental friendly behavior. The findings that descriptive norms and environmental concern significantly predicted environmental friendly behaviour are consistent with old surveies ( Gerber and Rogers, 2009 ; Ela 2009 ; Pradeep, 2012 ) . The important relationship between environmental friendly behavior, environmental concern and descriptive societal norms indicates that absence of these variables can weaken environmental friendly behavior among families in Ilorin West.

Decision

Environmental jobs have significantly and drastically increased in our society. These jobs are caused by worlds and can be mitigated by worlds. From this survey, it could be deduced that descriptive societal norms and environmental concern have the authority power of foretelling environmental friendly behaviour. It, hence, implies that descriptive societal norms and environmental concern play a cardinal function in extenuating these jobs if really effectual. Therefore, a society with an effectual societal norm and traditions can be used to extenuate environmental jobs when people abide purely by the Torahs of the land. Government at all grades could pull off and act upon descriptive societal norm through instruction, run, propaganda, advertisement etc. which could besides include self-efficacy intercession capable of heightening environmental friendly behaviour.

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