Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/271817 
Year of Publication: 
2022
Series/Report no.: 
CESifo Working Paper No. 10173
Publisher: 
Center for Economic Studies and ifo Institute (CESifo), Munich
Abstract: 
Observability has been demonstrated to influence the adoption of pro-social behavior in a variety of contexts. This study implements a field experiment to examine the influence of observability in the context of a novel pro-social behavior: peer-to-peer solar. Peer-to-peer solar offers an opportunity to households who cannot have solar on their homes to access solar energy from their neighbors. However, unlike solar installations, peer-to-peer solar is an invisible form of pro-environmental behavior. We implemented a set of randomized campaigns using Facebook ads in the Massachusetts cities of Cambridge and Somerville, in partnership with a peer-to-peer company. In the campaigns, treated customers were informed that they could share "green reports" online, providing information to others about their greenness. We find that interest in peer-to-peer solar increases by up to 30% when "green reports," which would make otherwise invisible behavior visible, are mentioned in the ads.
Subjects: 
peer to peer solar
pro-environmental behavior
social rewards
visibility
Facebook
JEL: 
C93
D91
Q20
Document Type: 
Working Paper
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