The 2015 International Conference of Management Sciences ICoMS 2015, April 23, UMY, Indonesia 58
3.2. Qualitative Exploratory Study
Exploratory study carried out in three stages through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The
first exploratory study is in-depth interviews conducted with two public relation staffs of PT PLN. The second
exploratory study is a survey with 48 heads of households or household electricity bill payer and the
third exploratory study is focus group discussions involving the segmen who are identified as the group
with least energy efficient awareness.
3.3. Experimental Study
This study use between subject design with 2 positive negative message x 2 highlow NFC factorial design.
This study used a laboratory experiment design. Based on Table 1., participants were randomly divided into
four treatment conditions: a. high NFC, positive framing b, low NFC, positive framing, c. low NFC, negative
framing, and d. high NFC, negative framing.
3.4. Participants
Based on the findings of the first two exploratory studies, young adults are identified as the consumer
group of electricity energy with least awareness to energy conservation. According to World Health
Organization WHO, adolescents Adolescence are those aged 10-19 years. While UN calls young people
youth for ages 15-24. These are then put together in terms of young people in the next section of this study
call as young adults which includes age 10-24 years Outlook, 2000. Based on this, the authors determined
the subject of this study were students under 24 years old as research subjects.
3.5. Operational Definition of Research Variables
Message Framing. Operationally, message framing is
defined as the presentation of the message in form of positive and negative framed messages encourage
electricity energy saving behavior. Positive framed message explaining the benefits of performing
electricity energy saving behavior and negative framed message contains description of the risks not performing
electricity energy saving behavior. Message framing is the independent variables in this research.
Need For Cognition. NFC is defined as the difference in a persons tendency to perform and enjoy the
cognitive activities Cacioppo et al., 1984. This variable is a proxy for differences in individual
characteristics
and this
is measured
variables. Measurements were performed using 18 NFC scale
indicators of Cacioppo et al. 1984 with 1 to 5 interval scale, ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree.
Attitude toward Electricity Energy Saving Behavior. Attitude is operationalized as attitude toward
electricity energy saving behavior and operationally defined as evaluation summary of a subject about the
message she receives. Measurement of attitudes towards energy saving electrical behavior is developed
based on the theory of attitude components which states that attitude consist of cognitive, affective and
behavioral components. The indicators used referred to previous research as well as some of the indicators
developed through the stages of purification scale referred to Churchill 1979.
Intention. Intention to behave shows how far a person is likely to commit to actspurchase Assael, 1998. In
this study intention operationalized as electricity energy saving intention that shows the extent to which a person
is likely to commit to perform electricity energy savings after a subject received received a message encouraging
saving electricity energy saving. Intention is proposed to mediate
the effect of subject’s attitude on energy saving
behavior. According
Maheswaran and
Meyers-Levy 1990 and Davis 1995 this variable was measure using 7 indicators with a scale ranging from
very unlikely 1 to very likely 7. All of the indicators were included in scale purification steps.
Instrument Development and Scale Purification.
S cale purification steps, involved 126 respondents for
initial step and 254 respondents for the main step. Scale purification steps included: determine the
domain of attitude toward electricity saving behavior, identification of underlying dimensions of attitude
toward
electricity saving
behavior, generating
indicators for each dimension, initial test of the indicators to limited respondents, test the coefficient
of alpha and performing factor analysis, revise the instruments, assign the revised instruments to larger
respondents, performing scale purification and establishing the final instruments. Results showed that
the attitude toward electricity saving behavior was determined by 1 belief 6 items, 2 perceived
scarcity 3 items, 3 perceived risk 4 items, 4 reluctant 3 items and 5 evaluation 9 items. This
scale purification steps also develop indicators to measure intention toward electricity saving behavior
7 items.
Electricity Energy Saving Behavior. Behavior is a whole pattern of reaction to certain stimuli. In this study
the behavior is operationalized as the behavior of electrical energy saving. Several studies on message
framing did not accommodate the direct measurement of changes in behavior and this limits the significance of
the results of these studies Tasso et al., 2005. Behavioral measurements performed by proposing two
options of equal value prizes to the participants, ie; Energy Saving Lamps gift selection as a proxy for
electrical energy saving behavior and t-shirt gift as a proxy of will not perform electricity energy-saving
behavior. Behavioral measurements made shortly after participants received stimuli and
fill out the questionnaire direct measurement by offering souvenir
The 2015 International Conference of Management Sciences ICoMS 2015, April 23, UMY, Indonesia 59
choice to the participants. Direct measurement is done Detweiler et al. 1999 in skin cancer prevention
behavior context by offering samples of sun protection cream as a souvenir.
3.6. Stimuli Design
