Interpersonal Influence in the Early Plug-in Hybrid Market:Observing Social Interactions with an Exploratory Multi-method Approach

摘要

We explore the role of interpersonal influence in car buyer’s perceptions of alternative-fuelvehicles. The context is a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) demonstration project at the Universityof California, Davis, from which we sample 10 households completing a four to six-week PHEVtrial. Our exploratory, multi-method research design sought to observe social interactions andprocesses of interpersonal influence within the social networks of each participating household.Research instruments include a social network mapping exercise, a social episode diary, anexperience influence ranking exercise, on-line questionnaires, and household interviews. Wederive three conclusions. First, social proximity proved a useful basis for mapping car buyers’social networks, facilitating the collection of influential social interaction data. Second,interpersonal influence plays an important role in trial participants’ assessment of PHEVtechnology. Third, a given social interaction is more likely to be influential if: i) it relates tosocietal aspects of the vehicle technology, ii) there is a difference in alternative fuel experienceor expertise among participants in the interaction, or iii) the participants are very close socially.Our conclusions suggest the value of further exploring processes of interpersonal influence indifferent transportation technology contexts, and in different and larger samples.