Do “warm glow” feelings affect climate mitigation behaviors? A field experiment on consumer electric energy choices

Abstract

Addressing the climate crisis is going to require behavioral change in many aspects of daily life. A growing literature suggests the promise of “warm glow” messaging that features the pleasure and satisfaction one experiences from acting sustainably. Yet previous research has relied almost exclusively on self‐reported behavioral intentions, leaving open whether such appeals meaningfully affect real‐world, costly choices. We partnered with a local organization to conduct a field experiment on energy choices in Hanover, New Hampshire. Using a randomized roll‐out design in early 2025, we systematically varied the timing of postcard mailers that contain a warm glow message encouraging customers to increase the renewable content of their energy option. Analyses of administrative data on consumer energy choices reveal that warm glow messages delivered in a field setting have a null effect on adoption of higher‐renewable power choices, with a small number of customers changing to the greener but more costly option. Our study provides novel behavioral evidence on the real‐world impact of intrinsic motivation appeals in the climate domain.