Descriptive social norms and resource cues influence choice by additive and separate effects

Abstract Descriptive social norms have attracted much attention in social influence research. Regarding consumer choice, it is however unclear if, and to what extent, the influence of social norms is related to resource-state information. In two experiments, including 384 and 724 participants, respectively, we assess the unique and combined effects of these influences on both choice and preferences. Results showed consistent effects of descriptive social norms, influencing both choice and preferences across the two experiments. When a resource cue was provided in Experiment 1, a small non-significant difference compared to the control condition indicated that information about resource states might affect choice. This effect was replicated with statistical significance in Experiment 2. No effect of such a cue was detected on preferences in either experiment. Present results suggest that the effects of descriptive social norms and resource cues are independent and additive.