Jaywalking: The Relative Weight of Normative and Punitive Cues

We examined norm violations in everyday life, in terms of crossing on red. Sociological theories on social norms imply conflicting predictions of whether social approval or monetary sanctions have stronger effects on the rate of norm abiding behaviour. Therefore, our experimental design contained different treatment conditions (no treatment, one moral appeal and different punitive appeals) in form of posters. Additionally to non-reactive observations we collected information in short interviews after people crossed the street. The study was staged in two German cities, Munich and Hanover. Results for study 1 in Munich show that 41 percent crossed on red, waiting on average three seconds before violating the norm. Furthermore, both moral and punitive appeal significantly reduced deviant behaviour, whereby moral sanctions had slightly stronger effects. As well jaywalking of other persons, bad weather, the presence of a child, being in hurry, gender and age had an effect on people’s decisions. Data for study 2 in Hanover have recently been collected but have not been analyzed yet. Complementing study 1, these data will allow us to estimate the elasticity of normative behaviour in response to punitive appeals.