Car drivers: environment sometimes more important than the wallet

Car drivers will drive more safely if it earns them money. Insurance companies could therefore save lives by offering intelligent policies. However, money is not the only thing that motivates car drivers – in some cases they find the environment more important than their wallets. This has been revealed by research conducted by University of Groningen psychologist Jan Willem Bolderdijk, who will be awarded a PhD by the University of Groningen on 13 January 2011. Bolderdijk: ‘In some cases it may be a better idea to appeal people to their consciences than their wallet.’

Many environmental campaigns are based on the assumption that economic messages (‘Energy-saving behaviour saves you money’) work better than moral ones (‘Energy-saving behaviour reduces the emissions of CO₂’). The recent ‘Be sustainable’ government campaign is a classic example of this. However, Bolderdijk’s research has revealed that sometimes it can be more effective to appeal to people’s need to do good without immediately profiting from it themselves.

Environment versus wallet

Various experiments have revealed that people may well be less selfish than is usually assumed. At a gas station in the United States, for example, car drivers were given the opportunity to have their tyre pressure checked for free. One group of car drivers was told that driving with the correct tyre pressure would save them money, the other that it was good for the environment. The second group was significantly more interested in the free check. It seems that moral arguments can sometimes be more convincing than financial ones, is Bolderdijk’s conclusion.

Positive self-image

Doing something good for society results in a positive self-image. In some cases a positive self-image is more of a motivation than a fat(ter) wallet, is psychologist Bolderdijk’s explanation of the choices made by the American drivers. The results from a lab experiment supported this hypothesis. Test subjects whose self-image had been activated (by getting them to underline the words ‘I’ and ‘me’ in a text) were significantly more susceptible to moral arguments than test subjects whose self-image had not been activated (these people were asked to underline the word ‘the’ in the same text).

Moral arguments

‘The government is very focussed on handing out financial stimulants, but this approach may be less suitable than assumed’, according to Bolderdijk. ‘Particularly in cases where the financial benefit is not very large, it may be more effective to use moral arguments to convince people.’ In fact it could even be counterproductive to hand out financial stimulants. Bolderdijk: ‘People who only buy an energy efficient dishwasher to save money may well spend the money they save on flying abroad for a holiday.’

‘The government is very focussed on handing out financial stimulants, but this approach may be less suitable than assumed’, according to Bolderdijk. ‘Particularly in cases where the financial benefit is not very large, it may be more effective to use moral arguments to convince people.’ In fact it could even be counterproductive to hand out financial stimulants. Bolderdijk: ‘People who only buy an energy efficient dishwasher to save money may well spend the money they save on flying abroad for a holiday.’

Money saves lives

Nevertheless, money can be an effective tool if the financial advantages are significant enough, Bolderdijk has demonstrated. He used a field experiment to investigate the principle of ‘Insurance by kilometre’. A hundred and fifty young drivers were offered fifty euros discount on their monthly insurance premium if they would drive safely. Consciously exceeding the speed limit was reduced by about 14% by this measure. No effect on the number of kilometres driven or the time of driving was revealed. Bolderdijk: ‘The results show that insurance companies could improve traffic safety, and thus save lives, with “clever” insurance policies.’

Curriculum Vitae

Jan Willem Bolderdijk (Groenlo, 1981) studied Social Psychology in Groningen. He conducted his PhD research at the department of Social Psychology of the University of Groningen, within the Kurt Lewin Institute. The research was co-financed by the Transumo platform (TRANsition SUstainable MObility). Bolderdijk will be awarded his PhD by the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences. His supervisors were Prof. Linda Steg and Prof. Tom Postmes. He is now a postdoc at the department of Social Psychology of the University of Groningen. The title of his thesis is ‘Buying people: the persuasive power of money’.

Note for the press

Contact: Jan Willem Bolderdijk, phone +3150363 6239, e-mail: j.w.bolderdijk rug.nl