Professor Sung Yong-Jun’s team at Korea University demonstrated that even behaviors practiced by a minority can be as persuasive as majority behaviors if messages are strategically designed. The study, published in Journal of Business Research (IF=9.8), combined minority/majority framing with guilt or pride appeals.

Laboratory and field experiments—including a hotel buffet study with 4,942 participants—showed that minority-focused messages with guilt appeals reduced food waste per person by 46%, outperforming majority-pride messages (35% reduction).

The research explains this through focus of attention: minority messages highlight inaction of others to induce responsibility, while majority messages trigger conformity and pride. The findings offer practical strategies for promoting eco-friendly behavior in corporate ESG initiatives, food waste reduction, and government sustainability campaigns.