Abstract
The Ecohance Panel is a quantitative longitudinal study mapping the intention-action gap in sustainable behaviour. It examines cognitive and structural friction - including cost, convenience and social norms - through five low-friction survey waves.
Core questions
- Which friction most deters sustainable habit formation?
- How does stated intent correlate with reported action 14 days later?
- Does social-norm framing increase pro-environmental choice?
Hypotheses
- H1: Convenience will be cited more often than economic cost.
- H2: Peer-norm information will increase habit retention.
- H3: Behavioural intent will peak at Wave 1 and decay by Wave 3 without structural support.
Methodology
Five data collection waves are spaced exactly 14 days apart. The target population is ages 16-45, recruited through student and education networks. Target sample size is N=500 at baseline with a minimum retained sample of N=300 by Wave 5. Registration locks after Wave 1.
Instrument and variables
The five-question visual instrument uses discrete choices, behavioural recall and multi-select friction attribution. Measures include time, choice framing, stated intent, executed behaviour, friction and an algorithmically assigned behavioural archetype.
Data quality and analysis
Responses under five seconds are flagged. Participants completing fewer than three waves are excluded from the primary longitudinal analysis. Planned methods include descriptive statistics and time-series analysis.
Ethics and open science
Consent is required before baseline collection. Personally identifiable information is excluded from analysis. After privacy review, an anonymised dataset and working paper are planned for public access.