3 persistent energy-conservation behaviors. Generating peer pressure by utilizing social media technology Peer pressure is equally effective at encouraging energysaving behaviors whether it stems from local communities or social media. Policymakers could leverage social media technology to generate peer pressure by establishing peer comparison platforms. Traditionally, air-conditioning consumption is a private behavior, and as such is not very responsive to social pressure (Abrahamse and Steg, 2013). Innovative social media technology, however, may enhance the visibility of energy consumption. Inasmuch as the number of peers does not affect the influence of social pressure, the government could formulate a social influence network that centers on a few impactful individuals with the required attributes to serve as “environmental champions" (Anderson and Menassa, 2014). Utilizing economic instruments supported by emerging technology as supplementary measures Statistics generated in this study show that economic instruments were perceived as influential in motivating energy-conservation actions, although they are less effective than social pressure. In the long run, moderate rewards/penalties may serve as supplementary policy instruments that encourage energy-conservation behaviors that require perseverance. The government may also apply smart city technology and blockchain technology to improve the effectiveness, privacy, and reliability of rewards/penalties programs (Su et al., 2011; Ahl et al., 2019). Targeting specific groups of citizens Evidence presented in this study indicates that energy consumption decisions taken by citizens with specific internal attributes, namely fuller environmental awareness, greater openness to change, and exposure to past policy influence, were more likely to be influenced policy interventions. Micro-targeting (Metcalf et al., 2019) citizens with these attributes may significantly enhance the likelihood that such interventions succeed. Citizens' willingness to perform energy-saving actions depends on past influence, however, so policymakers should target citizens who have not been previously influenced by any policy interventions as early as possible. Nevertheless, policymakers must ensure data privacy when collecting personal data, e.g., data about personal psycho-cognitive attributes. Smart technology and secure data-processing protocols should help to mitigate privacy risks. 5 10 15 20 25 12345678910 Parameter values (Likert scale responses) The distribution of respondents' perceptions of the potential for local community (LCe) and social media (SMe) peer pressure to influence energyefficiency behaviors associated with residential cooling 30 Percentage of respondents Figure 1 The distribution of respondents' perceptions of the potential for local community (LCc) and social media (SMc) peer pressure to influence energy-conservation behaviors associated with residential cooling Figure 2 5 10 15 20 25 30 Percentage of respondents 123 4 5678910 Parameter values (Likert scale responses) The distribution of respondents' perceptions of the potential for penalties (PEN) and rewards (REW) to influence energyconservation behaviors associated with residential cooling Figure 3 5 10 15 20 25 30 Percentage of respondents 12345678910 Parameter values (Likert scale responses) Enhancing environmental awareness Energy consumption decisions taken by citizens with fuller environmental awareness are more likely to be influenced by policy interventions. The government could raise environmental awareness by organizing public campaigns and introducing specialized courses into curricula across education levels. Employing social media technology, policymakers could build interactive platforms to facilitate knowledge exchange between educators, buildingindustry experts, energy specialists, and citizens. Public Policy BULLETIN Social Influence and Economic Intervention Policies that Reduce Energy Consumption: Evidence from Air-conditioning Use
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