Descriptive Norms ≠ Injunctive Norms: A Meta-Analytic Review Across Four Health Contexts

= .34), with stronger alignment for friend-based (vs. family-based) referents and distinct motivational profiles for each normative perception. Perceived injunctive norms were more strongly associated with attitudes and intentions, whereas perceived descriptive norms were more closely associated with actual behavior. A meta-regression further showed that perceived injunctive norms consistently amplified the effects of perceived descriptive norms across outcomes. Taken together, findings demonstrate that perceived descriptive and injunctive norms function as related yet distinct constructs whose influence varies systematically with social context-suggesting that progress may require embracing woollier questions about the foundations of normative influence.