Predicting intention to improve household energy efficiency: the role of value-belief-norm theory, normative and informational influence, and specific attitude

The study tested a model on the intention to use renewable energy sources at the household level. The model focuses on the value-belief-norm (VBN) theory and includes different kinds of social influence (normative and informational) and attitude towards the target behaviour.Participants (N = 432) were homeowners who filled in a self-report questionnaire, which measured the intention to use "green" energy devices and a set of social-psychological dimensions included in the model.Results of structural equation modelling showed the adequacy of the VBN theory in predicting the target efficiency behavioural intention. Moreover, moral norms and informational influence (i.e., trust in friends/relatives and neighbours) emerged as the most powerful predictors of the intention to use renewable energy devices. These variables also mediated the effects of social norms, both injunctive and descriptive, which showed only an indirect influence on the intention.