It is human nature to want to fit in. We want to belong to a group, and we want people around us to affirm our views. And to do so, we inadvertently change ourselves: our mindsets, our actions, and maybe even our individuality. Sometimes it means changing for the better (like BES’ influence on me 🙂 ), but that’s not always the case.
The other day, my brother commented on my switch to a vegetarian diet. He called it sad, and socialising would be “rough” since most meetups were done over meals. When I told him about a vegetarian friend I knew who when eating with friends, would let them choose the eatery first then try to settle something for himself, my brother said that that was even sadder because if he did that he would feel left out. That got me wondering about the impact of social norms on decisions to make sustainable choices. And specifically, how it was like in Singapore.
singapore context
We live in quite the affluent nation. Despite our small size, car driving is typical, with 1 in 10 Singaporeans owning a car (source). Daily meat-eating is also standard, with each of us consuming around 2.56 servings of meat every day on average (source [a]; [b]). Prizing convenience in this fast-paced city, we have no problems being wasteful, using about 473 million plastic disposables each year (source).
Let’s not forget our consumerist nature either. Just mention ‘Hello Kitty’ and ‘MacDonald’s’ in a single sentence, or ‘new iPhone release’, and the long queues that follow would be bound to make the news. Constantly vying for the latest products and relentlessly squandering, we’ve built a buy-and-throwaway culture, creating 7.23 million tonnes of solid waste in 2019
(source).
And no one bats an eye.
discussion
We tend to push the responsibility to the top, to the government. We point our fingers at the lack of environmental policies, the shortage of sustainable infrastructure, and the failure of environmental messaging. And for good reason too; the government does hold the most power to enact change within a country after all. That said, we shouldn’t wash our hands completely free of blame either.
By duly following and moving with the crowd, we have created a society that justifies unsustainable consumption, simply because that is the norm. Social norms are powerful tools for encouraging sustainable individual action. Numerous studies have found that people became more willing to choose sustainable options when they just believed that others were doing the same (source). However, when unsustainable behaviour is the default for society, wouldn’t the norm instead stifle action?
The social norms of Singapore need to change. We as a collective must deviate from the default.
Hi Rachel!
Congrats on switching to a vegetarian diet! Personally feel that it’s tough for someone to adjust to a different lifestyle from the one that they grew up with. I can definitely relate to your brother’s first viewpoint, as I’ve been guilty of deliberately skipping get-togethers as it’s hard to accommodate my vegetarian diet. But unlike his second viewpoint, I don’t find it sad that I’ve to go out of the way to find my own food when meeting with friends. I guess it’s down to how much an individual value their friends and in my case, I find their companionship worth the hassle.
While socialising may be tough as a vegetarian, I think the issue has improved over the years as more restaurants and eateries are offering vegetarian options in their menus. Perhaps that might be due to the traction that vegetarianism is gaining, what do you think? Nonetheless, I hope that fitting in would be easier for you as you begin your vegetarian journey!
Cheers,
Yu Xun
Hi Yu Xun,
I think with the public becoming more aware of the whole environmental problem, people tend to be more catering in general (although that goes for all kinds of diets, not just those associated with being environmentally friendly). In the last few years, I’ve definitely noticed more vegan and vegetarian restaurants popping up so it can be said that vegetarianism/ veganism is gaining traction. That said, these eateries tend to be small, stand-alone, and with a hipster vibe that makes it seem like they are catering more towards young people. Whereas in hawker centres and coffee shops, I’ve only seen 1 stall that directly caters to vegetarians, instead of just happening to have (usually ethnic) vegetarian dishes.
Perhaps, outside this bubble of environmentally concerned people, the greater tolerance for people turning vegetarian may simply be viewed as yet another ‘trendy’ thing that young people are trying out. And that it’ll die down soon. I do sincerely hope that isn’t the case though.
Hi Rachel,
Another great post. Despite my deep-seated reservations about the idea that individual change is nearly as impactful as corporate & govt change (and we don’t have to agree), this is super well done.
That said, I must point out that your stat on car ownership is wrong. Because of the COE and other vehicle restraint initiatives, ownership in SG is one of the lowest among high-income nations, and currently sits at between 10 and 11 %. FYI, NUS has a subscription to Statista, so you can always go to NUS Library, access the resource and then look at the original report or data that it used.
I also encourage you to check out what my student, Shu Tian, learned about social norms, specifically Kiasuism, and pro-environmental behaviours.
https://urban-ecologist.com/research/student/ng-shu-tian/
jc
Hi Dr Coleman,
Thank you for pointing out the car statistic, I wouldn’t have noticed it otherwise! Regarding the impact of individuals vs governments, I too have reservations. Governments have far more power than individuals can ever hope to have after all. But I like to think that since governments run countries, and countries are made up of individuals, perhaps change stems from individuals.