How psychological ownership can enhance stewardship for public goods


Date:
October 13, 2020
Source:
New York Institute of Technology
Summary:
How can consumers be encouraged to take better care of public
goods and resources?


FULL STORY ==========================================================================
How can consumers be encouraged to take better care of public goods and resources? That's the question posed in a new research paper co-authored
by Collen P. Kirk, D.P.S., associate professor of marketing at New York Institute of Technology, in the Journal of Marketing.


========================================================================== Caring for the Commons: Using Psychological Ownership to Enhance
Stewardship Behavior for Public Goods aims to help solve the "tragedy
of the commons," the idea that when goods or resources are shared by
many owners they are subject to abuse or neglect.

Sadly, the tragedy of the commons can be seen in many public spaces,
such as cemeteries, public housing, fishing areas, and beaches, and has contributed to a number of environmental challenges. One commonly cited environmental issue includes ocean pollution. Because ocean waters are
shared by many different nations no single authority has the power to
pass laws that protect the entire ocean. Instead, nations manage and
protect ocean resources along their coastlines, leaving the much larger
shared waters vulnerable to contamination.

Citing available studies on the tragedy of the commons, Kirk joins Joann
Peck, Ph.D., of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business; Andrea Luangrath,
Ph.D., of the University of Iowa; and Suzanne Shu, Ph.D., of Cornell
University in hypothesizing that increased feelings of ownership towards
a public good can help ensure that individuals do their part.

PUTTING THEIR THEORY TO THE TEST The researchers manipulated scenarios in public settings to encourage visitors to view the spaces as their own,
rather than as a shared commodity. In each scenario, the investigators
found that increasing psychological ownership enhanced stewardship,
causing participants to become more likely to take direct action to care
for that setting, such as picking up trash, or financial stewardship,
such as donating money.

For example, the researchers manipulated psychological ownership of a
lake by asking a randomized group of kayak renters to think of and write
down a nickname for the lake before renting their boats. Unbeknownst
to the kayakers, the researchers had planted anchored floating trash
in the lake to test whether naming the lake would create an increased
feeling of ownership. Compared to the control group, kayakers who were
not asked to name the lake, the "namers" were more likely to do their
part in trying to pick up the trash, with 41 percent attempting to remove
the planted litter.

In another scenario, study participants were asked to imagine that
they were taking a walk in a hypothetical park called Stoneview
Park. Researchers showed the control group a park entrance sign that read
the generic message, "Welcome to the park." In contrast, the experimental
group was shown a sign reading, "Welcome to YOUR park." Each group of
"walkers" then completed a survey on how likely they were to remove litter
or donate to park maintenance efforts. Once again, when compared to the
control group, those exposed to the psychological ownership tactics
(YOUR park group) felt a greater need to care for and contribute to
maintaining the public space.

A third scenario tested yet another psychological ownership tactic
aimed at cultivating stewardship. Cross country skiers and snowshoers
at a public park ski rental were asked to plan a route prior to their
outing. Following the completion of the park's standard liability
waiver, an employee offered them a map, obtained their shoe size, and,
in the control group (the "non-planners"), went on to retrieve the ski equipment. However, in the experimental group, before retrieving the skis
or snowshoes, the employee asked the renters to plan a route they might
take on the map. All renters were then charged for their ski equipment
and asked whether they would like to add a dollar to the rental fee to
help the park. Donations indicated that individuals who planned their
route in advance were more likely to chip in. In addition, a participant
survey also revealed that those asked to plan their route were more
likely to feel ownership, volunteer, donate in the future, and promote
the park to others using social media. The researchers believe that
because these skiers played an active role in shaping their experience,
they may have felt a greater sense of connection to the park.

Kirk, who has published significant research on psychological ownership
and an op-ed in Harvard Business Review, believes the findings can assist marketers in conservation efforts.

"Maintaining the natural environment is a pressing issue facing our
planet, and has become more challenging during the pandemic as park
services are reduced while the number of people spending time outside
has increased," she notes.

"Researchers have previously shown that eliciting feelings of ownership in consumers, even in the absence of legal ownership, induces them to value a product more highly. In this research, we document, through a variety of experimental studies in the field and in the laboratory, that individual psychological ownership also motivates caring behaviors for a public
good, such as picking up trash from a lake or donating time or money to
a park. We encourage marketers and environmentalists alike to reflect
on these findings when considering ways to maintain public spaces."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
New_York_Institute_of_Technology. Original written by Kim Tucker
Campo. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Joann Peck, Colleen P. Kirk, Andrea W. Luangrath, Suzanne
B. Shu. Caring
for the Commons: Using Psychological Ownership to Enhance
Stewardship Behavior for Public Goods. Journal of Marketing, 2020;
002224292095208 DOI: 10.1177/0022242920952084 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201013134308.htm

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