Abstract

This paper examines how perceived social norms affect French farmers’ intentions to adopt eco-schemes (ES), a new EU Common Agricultural Policy tool offering payments for sustainable practices. A large-scale web survey reveals that farmers hold inaccurate beliefs about their peers’ attitudes toward ES. Using randomized norm-based informational treatments, we show that providing truthful information about peer beliefs significantly shifts farmers’ own opinions and perceptions of others. Our between-subject design also uncovers cross-learning effects, where updating beliefs about one aspect of ES influences beliefs about related outcomes. These findings highlight the power of norm interventions in promoting sustainable agriculture.

Practical information