2001/11/01 by Mark van Vugt · 1 citation
Social Sciences · Environmental Science · Economics, Econometrics and Finance · #Experimental Behavioral Economics Studies #Environmental Education and Sustainability #Economic and Environmental Valuation
paper · doi:10.1177/01461672012711005
openalex publication_date 2001/11/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
The moderating role of community identification was investigated in the impact of different tariff systems on domestic water use. Over a 9-month interval, both consumption and survey data were collected in 278 households in the United Kingdom, 203 of which were on a variable tariff (i.e., charges related to use) and 75 on a fixed tariff (i.e., charges unrelated to use). Adopting a social dilemma approach, I expected a fixed tariff to be associated with greater use than a variable tariff, in particular when resources were valuable and people identified weakly with their community. This hypothesis was supported in both the field study and an experimental study that simulated a natural resource crisis in the laboratory.