The role of habit loop formation and social norms in promoting eco-friendly behavior: A study on reusable bag usage post plastic tax abolition

This study investigated the influence of habit strength and perceived social norms on Swedish residents continued use of reusable bags following the removal of the plastic bag tax. A cross-sectional survey (N = 93) measured participants’ habit strength, perception of social norms, and frequency of reusable bag usage. Descriptive statistics indicated variability in habit and social norm scores, and skewness within acceptable limits for parametric analysis. Pearson’s correlations showed strong positive associations between habit strength and reusable bag usage, and moderate positive associations between social norms and usage. A multiple regression analysis revealed that habit strength (β = .66, p < .001) and social norms (β = 0.52, p = .013) were significant positive predictors of reusable bag usage, while their interaction had a significant negative effect (β = –0.83, p = .019), suggesting that social norms are less influential when habits are strong. The overall model explained 54% of the variance in reusable bag usage. Findings support the view that habits may override social influence once established, highlighting the importance of habit formation in sustaining pro-environmental behaviors. Limitations include reliance on self-report data, cross-sectional design, convenience sampling, multicollinearity, and minor violations of regression assumptions. Future research should employ longitudinal or experimental designs, larger samples, and more precise habit measures to further examine the interplay between habits and social norms in sustainable behavior.