Over three-quarters of parents in the intervention group completed the reading challenge, while less than half of parents in the control group did. A follow-up survey revealed that parents in the intervention group did not believe the social norm had been a motivating factor in their completion of the challenge. Parents did not believe that they had been influenced by what they were told other parents were doing, in spite of clear evidence that the social norm intervention had worked. Perceived social norms may have a greater influence on our actions than actual threat.
