DOI: 10.1177/10422587261485958 ISSN: 1042-2587
Belief Traps Hinder Small Business Climate Action
Jeffrey Lees, Sara M. Constantino, Jean Cushen, Frederik Dahlmann, Frank G. A. de Bakker, Edoardo Della Torre, Maria Laura Frigotto, Mario Hackenbuchner, Nico Heuvinck, Emmanuel Kypraios, Anastasia Ri, Stephen Roper, Elke Schuessler, Christoph Ungemach, Dror EtzionClimate (in)action by small business owners is not driven only by policy or economic considerations but also by sociological and psychological factors, as leaders mimic the behaviors they perceive among their peers. We find that these social inferences about what others believe are often incorrect. In this registered report of 4,432 small-to-medium business owners and leaders across seven countries, we observe a persistent gap between perceived and actual beliefs. And this gap matters: small-to-medium enterprise owners exhibiting a larger gap have fewer sustainability policies in place. These results highlight how peer effects can spur climate action among business leaders.