Returning the Shopping Cart: Social Norms and Prosocial Behavior in Public Places

Tara R. Wells
Dr. Amber Johnson, Faculty Mentor

Prosocial behavior is essential for maintaining functioning social environments, yet little research has examined minor, low effort behaviors such as returning shopping carts. This study investigated how demographic factors, social influences, and contextual cues shape individuals’ intentions to return a shopping cart using the Focus Theory of Normative Conduct (FTNC) as a theoretical framework. Undergraduate students (N=68) were randomly assigned to one of three photo-based scenarios depicting different descriptive norms. Participants reported their likelihood of returning a cart and how they believed others would react if they did not return it (injunctive norm). Across all conditions, participants overwhelmingly indicated they would return the cart, even when the descriptive norm suggested otherwise. Perceptions of others' reactions varied across scenarios. These findings suggest that injunctive norms may exert a stronger influence than descriptive norms in minor prosocial behaviors and provide ideas for future research.

Keywords: prosocial behavior, shopping cart, social norms, injunctive norms, descriptive norms, public behavior, demographics, social influence

Topic(s):Anthropology
Sociology

Presentation Type: Poster Presentation

Session: TBA
Location: TBA
Time: TBA