Refining the Interaction Between Social Norms and Uncertainty About Risk Perceptions in Health and Environmental Behaviors– A Cross-Cultural Replication and Extension

Social norms play a crucial role in shaping risk-mitigating behaviors, prompting extensive research to advance theory, and inform practices. However, until recently, limited attention has been given to how individuals’ (meta)cognitive appraisals of risks may interact with social norms to affect risk-mitigating behaviors. Expanding previous work, this study employs a cross-sectional survey (N = 1,249) to (1) further differentiates risk perceptions from uncertainty about risk perceptions, (2) test the interaction between two types of social norms and (uncertainty about) risk perceptions, and (3) replicate the findings across two cultural contexts (i.e. Hong Kong, and US). Findings reveal that uncertainty about perceived risk, rather than risk perceptions, shapes the strength and direction of the effects of social norms on behavioral intention. Specifically, when uncertainty about perceived susceptibility is high, the effect of social norms on behavioral intention is stronger for individuals who are more than less uncertain about the severity of a risk. Although the findings are largely consistent across the two subsamples, notable cultural variations also emerge. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.