Study shows messiness leads to behavior decline

By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, AP Science Writer

WASHINGTON – Does a messy neighborhood make a

difference on how people act? It sure does! Graffiti on

the walls, trash in the street, bicycles chained to a fence,

all resulted in a decline in how people behaved in a

series of experiments.

A bit of litter or graffiti didn't lead to predatory crime, but

actions ranging from littering to trespassing and minor

stealing all increased when people saw evidence of

others ignoring the rules of good behavior, Dutch

researchers report in Thursday's online edition of the

journal Science.

In normal behavior most people try to act appropriately to

the circumstances, explained lead author Kees Keizer of

the faculty of behavioral and social sciences at the

University of Groningen, Netherlands. But some tend to

avoid effort or seek ways to gain for themselves.

Things like littering an area or applying graffiti change the

circumstances by indicating that others are not behaving

correctly, which weakens the incentive for people to do

the right thing.

So the researchers were not surprised that people

littered more in messy area, for example. But, added

Keizer: "We were, however, surprised by the size of the

effect."

Here's an example.

The researchers found a tidy alley in a shopping area

where people parked their bicycles. There was a no-

littering sign on the wall.

The researchers attached flyers for a nonexistent store

to the bike handlebars and observed behavior.

Under normal circumstances, 33 percent of riders littered

the alley with the flyer. But after researchers defaced the

alley wall with graffiti, the share of riders who littered with

the flyers jumped to 69 percent.

They did a half-dozen similar experiments, all with similar

results.

While the study seems to deliver a negative message,

Keizer pointed out that "it also shows that municipal

officials and the public can have a significant impact on

the influence of norms and rules on behavior."

In other words, keep public areas neat and people will be

less likely to make a mess.

The work is related to the "Broken Window Theory,"

which suggests that urban disorder such as broken

windows and graffiti encourage petty crime.

This research doesn't go that far, said Robert J.

Sampson, chairman of Harvard University's department

of sociology.

"It's an interesting study, it's very clever. And the results

are believable within the limited bounds set by their

design," said Sampson, who was not part of the research

team.

But the results don't show that disorder spreads to

predatory crime, he said, what they show is that disorder

increases people's likelihood of committing (similar)

acts."

In addition to the alley with graffiti, here's how the

experiments worked:

Test Two:

A fence partly closed off the main entrance to a parking

lot. There was a narrow gap and a no-admittance sign

that pointed out a new entry, 200 yards away. A second

sign prohibited locking bikes to the fence.

When the fence was clear, 27 percent of people heading

for their cars ignored the no-admittance sign and

squeezed through the gap in the fence. But after several

bikes were locked to the fence in defiance of that ban, 82

percent of people going to their cars squeezed through

the prohibited entry.

Test Three:

Flyers were placed under the windshield wipers of cars in

a parking garage next to a market. A sign on the wall

asked people to return their shopping carts to the market.

When the lot was clear of shopping carts, 30 percent of

drivers littered the lot with the flyers. But when a few

carts were left in a disorderly state around the garage,

58 percent of people littered.

Test Four:

Two weeks before New Year's Day researchers visited a

bicycle parking shed near a train station and attached

flyers to the handlebars. Under normal conditions 52

percent of the riders littered the shed with the flyers.

Then the researchers set off fireworks outside the shed

— which residents know is illegal in the period before

New Year. Hearing the fireworks, 80 percent of riders

littered the shed.

Tests Five and Six:

An envelope with money visible through the address

window was placed sticking out of a mailbox.

Under ordinary conditions 13 percent of passers-by stole

the envelope.

When the same mailbox was defaced with graffiti the

percentage taking the money jumped to 27 percent.

After researchers cleaned the mailbox, but messed up

the area around it with litter, 25 percent stole the money.

Science: http://www.sciencemag.org

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