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Society might be greener than you think

November 2026

Abstract: Misperceptions of others’ concern about climate change have been identified as key barriers to climate action. We study whether people also misperceive (i) others’ level of sustainable behavior, (ii) the level of sustainable behavior others deem appropriate, and (iii) others’ support for policies that restrict or tax individual nonsustainable behavior. We address these questions in a pre-registered online study with 1,292 Luxembourg residents. Participants reported their own behaviors, personal norms, and policy support, and estimated the same for others across three domains with high carbon-saving potential: reducing animal protein consumption, reducing home heating, and using public transportation. In line with pluralistic ignorance, we find that a majority of participants systematically and substantially underestimate others’ sustainability. Participants also underestimate how much others donate to offset carbon emissions in an incentivized donation task. Consistent with a false consensus effect, the least sustainable individuals strongly underestimate others’ sustainability, while the most sustainable underestimate less and even overestimate in some domains.

Type: Journal article
Theme(s): Sustainability and green behaviour
Keywords: Climate change, Misperceived norms, Pluralistic ignorance, Pro-environmental behavior, Social expectations
JEL Classification: C90, D83, D90, Q50
10.1016/j.joep.2026.102951

Reference

Jiang-Wang, A., Fallucchi, F., Van Kerm, P. & Verheyden, B. (2026), 'Society might be greener than you think', Journal of Economic Psychology.

@ARTICLE{pvk-2014,
	Author = {Jiang-Wang, Angela and Fallucchi, Francesco and Van Kerm, Philippe and Verheyden, Bertrand},
	Title = {Society might be greener than you think},
	Journal = {Journal of Economic Psychology},
	Month = nov,
	Year = {2026}
}

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Dataset(s) used in the paper

Other papers using the same datasets...

Cristelo, D., Fallucchi, F., Jiang-Wang, A., Tenikue, M., Van Kerm, P. & Verheyden, B. (2024), 'Driving Behavioral Change for an Economic and Social Transition towards more Resilience and Sustainability in Luxembourg (SOC2050)', Report, Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research, Esch/Alzette, Luxembourg.    

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Other papers on the same theme(s)

Cristelo, D., Fallucchi, F., Jiang-Wang, A., Tenikue, M., Van Kerm, P. & Verheyden, B. (2024), 'Driving Behavioral Change for an Economic and Social Transition towards more Resilience and Sustainability in Luxembourg (SOC2050)', Report, Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research, Esch/Alzette, Luxembourg.