Social Sustainability
Social Norms
The unwritten rules of acceptable behaviour within a group — powerful, invisible drivers of consumption, waste and cooperation.
Definition
Social norms are the informal, often unspoken rules that govern behaviour within a group or society — shared expectations about what is typical (descriptive norms) and what is approved (injunctive norms), enforced by social approval and sanction rather than law. Norms shape sustainable or unsustainable behaviour powerfully: littering, food waste, energy use, dietary choices and consumption display all track what peers visibly do and approve.
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