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Goal Framing as a Tool for Changing People’s Car Travel Behavior in Sweden

Westin, Kerstin ; Nordlund, Annika ; Jansson, Johan LU and Nilsson, Jonas (2020) In Sustainability 12(9).
Abstract
This paper reports on a study of car drivers’ assessment of a sustainability policy involving increased car parking fees in Swedish city centers. The aim of the study was to investigate how framing of information in text and pictures influences acceptance of increasing car parking fees and how values, general beliefs and norms as well as measure-specific beliefs influence the acceptability of the measure. Drawing on Goal Framing Theory, the acceptance of a parking fee policy was tested using three different goal frames (hedonic, gain and normative); the frames were compared with each other and a control message. The study was based on a survey directed to residents (18 to 75 years of age) in 51 larger municipalities in Sweden. The survey... (More)
This paper reports on a study of car drivers’ assessment of a sustainability policy involving increased car parking fees in Swedish city centers. The aim of the study was to investigate how framing of information in text and pictures influences acceptance of increasing car parking fees and how values, general beliefs and norms as well as measure-specific beliefs influence the acceptability of the measure. Drawing on Goal Framing Theory, the acceptance of a parking fee policy was tested using three different goal frames (hedonic, gain and normative); the frames were compared with each other and a control message. The study was based on a survey directed to residents (18 to 75 years of age) in 51 larger municipalities in Sweden. The survey had an experimental design. Respondents were presented with a scenario of an increase in parking fees to promote environmental sustainability. The scenario was presented in three ways (manipulations), highlighting hedonic (e.g., emotional), gain, and normative aspects, respectively, in text and pictures. The results showed that the three message frames had different effects and were overall more effective than the control message in engendering the desired reduction in private car use and, thus, the intended environmental impact. Further, the degree of acceptability of the increased parking fee influenced the expected behavioral change in the groups receiving a goal framed message in relation to the parking fee measure. Implications from a sustainability perspective concern the importance of how environmental policies are framed when communicated to the public in order to increase acceptance and support. (Less)
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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
daily travel, parking fees, experimental setting, goal framing, sustainability policy measures
in
Sustainability
volume
12
issue
9
article number
3695
publisher
MDPI AG
external identifiers
  • scopus:85085298948
ISSN
2071-1050
DOI
10.3390/su12093695
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
97ebc4a6-a637-4937-9c47-ee6ec9f3c43a
date added to LUP
2020-05-07 11:05:24
date last changed
2022-04-18 22:01:37
@article{97ebc4a6-a637-4937-9c47-ee6ec9f3c43a,
  abstract     = {{This paper reports on a study of car drivers’ assessment of a sustainability policy involving increased car parking fees in Swedish city centers. The aim of the study was to investigate how framing of information in text and pictures influences acceptance of increasing car parking fees and how values, general beliefs and norms as well as measure-specific beliefs influence the acceptability of the measure. Drawing on Goal Framing Theory, the acceptance of a parking fee policy was tested using three different goal frames (hedonic, gain and normative); the frames were compared with each other and a control message. The study was based on a survey directed to residents (18 to 75 years of age) in 51 larger municipalities in Sweden. The survey had an experimental design. Respondents were presented with a scenario of an increase in parking fees to promote environmental sustainability. The scenario was presented in three ways (manipulations), highlighting hedonic (e.g., emotional), gain, and normative aspects, respectively, in text and pictures. The results showed that the three message frames had different effects and were overall more effective than the control message in engendering the desired reduction in private car use and, thus, the intended environmental impact. Further, the degree of acceptability of the increased parking fee influenced the expected behavioral change in the groups receiving a goal framed message in relation to the parking fee measure. Implications from a sustainability perspective concern the importance of how environmental policies are framed when communicated to the public in order to increase acceptance and support.}},
  author       = {{Westin, Kerstin and Nordlund, Annika and Jansson, Johan and Nilsson, Jonas}},
  issn         = {{2071-1050}},
  keywords     = {{daily travel; parking fees; experimental setting; goal framing; sustainability policy measures}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{05}},
  number       = {{9}},
  publisher    = {{MDPI AG}},
  series       = {{Sustainability}},
  title        = {{Goal Framing as a Tool for Changing People’s Car Travel Behavior in Sweden}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12093695}},
  doi          = {{10.3390/su12093695}},
  volume       = {{12}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}