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Experimental Methods: Eliciting and Measuring Social Norms

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Listed:
  • Gary Charness
  • Eugen Dimant
  • Uri Gneezy
  • Erin Krupka

Abstract

Eliciting social norms is essential for understanding a range of behaviors in economic contexts. This paper reviews key experimental approaches to social-norm measurement, comparing the methods, practical considerations, and specific conditions under which each is most effective. We discuss various social norm elicitation techniques, including coordination-based, opinion-based, and distributional approaches. Our findings suggest that coordination-game approaches are the most widely adopted and tested; they deliver robust results, particularly in contexts with a single dominant norm. Importantly, while early methods focused on eliciting mean or modal normative beliefs, recent work shifts focus to eliciting beliefs about the distribution of normative beliefs. This allows the researcher to draw inferences on the degree of uncertainty that underlies norm assessments. This paper aims to help experimentalists and practitioners choose suitable norm-elicitation methods that are aligned with research objectives and logistical constraints.

Suggested Citation

  • Gary Charness & Eugen Dimant & Uri Gneezy & Erin Krupka, 2025. "Experimental Methods: Eliciting and Measuring Social Norms," CESifo Working Paper Series 11840, CESifo.
  • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11840
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    methodology; norm elicitation; social norms.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C91 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Individual Behavior
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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