Examining anti-littering intentions in Ghana through the theory of normative social behavior and the influence of dynamic norms

• An in-person survey of 527 participants in Ghana, a non-WEIRD context with distinctive sociocultural challenges around littering. • Neither static nor dynamic norms showed significant main effects on anti-littering intentions. • Injunctive norms moderated descriptive norms in both static and dynamic contexts, with interactions remaining significant when tested together, underscoring the value of integrated normative messaging. • Only self-related and health-related benefits emerged as significant predictors of intentions. • Self-related benefits moderated the influence of static descriptive norms. • Findings provide insights into applying the TNSB in a non-Western setting and inform intervention development. Grounded in the Theory of Normative Social Behavior (TNSB), this study examined how perceptions of static and dynamic norms and multidimensional outcome expectations influence anti-littering intentions in Ghana, based on in-person surveys with 527 participants. Results showed that neither static nor dynamic norms exerted significant main effects on behavioral intentions. Instead, significant interactions emerged between descriptive and injunctive norms, both static and dynamic, highlighting the moderating effects of injunctive norms on the relationship between descriptive norms and intentions. Among outcome expectations, perceived health and self-related benefits were significant predictors of anti-littering intentions. Additionally, self-related outcome expectations moderated the relationship between static descriptive norms and intentions. These findings contribute to testing the TNSB in an understudied African context by demonstrating how normative influences operate in a distinctive sociocultural setting. They also suggest that, in certain contexts, environmental communication campaigns may be more effective when they leverage both static and dynamic normative messages and emphasize personal and health benefits.