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

Universalism

Benevolence

ConformityTradition

Security

Self-Direction

Stimulation

Hedonism

Achievement

Power

ValuesSchwartz (1992)

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

influential

Universalism

Benevolence

ConformityTradition

Security

Self-Direction

Stimulation

Hedonism

Achievement

Power

ValuesSchwartz (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

Self-transcendence

Physical self

Extrinsic Intrinsic

Spirituality

Community

Affiliation

Self-acceptance

Physical health

SafetyHedonism

Financialsuccess

Image

Popularity

Conformity

GoalsGrouzet 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.”

Self-transcendence

Physical self

Extrinsic Intrinsic

Spirituality

Community

Affiliation

Self-acceptance

Physical health

SafetyHedonism

Financialsuccess

Image

Popularity

Conformity

GoalsGrouzet 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 k r 95% C.I.

Attitudes 8 -.22 -.33, -.11

Behaviors 9 -.24 -.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

Universalism

Benevolence

ConformityTradition

Security

Self-Direction

Stimulation

Hedonism

Achievement

Power

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 PeopleChilton 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 PeopleChilton 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.”

Car Share

Climate Change

Sustainability

Recycling

Car Share

Climate Change

Sustainability

Diet

Diet

Climate Change

Sustainability

Car Share

Diet

Climate Change

Sustainability

Helping People in Developing Nations

Summary

• Rather than focus on rewards, punishments, and E/ST goals

• Focus on encouraging and activating Intrinsic/Self-transcendent Values

Thanks!