Disorder
A series of experiments by Kees Keizer, Siegwart Lindenberg, & Linda Steg (”The Spreading of Disorder“; methodology .pdf file here) suggest that signs of vandalism, litter and low-level lawbreaking increase the number of people who are prepared to litter and steal.
The first experiment was conducted in an alley that is frequently used to park bicycles. The researchers created two conditions: one of order and the other of disorder. In the former, the walls of the alley were freshly painted; in the latter, they were tagged with amateurish graffiti. In both states a large sign prohibiting graffiti was put up. All the bikes then had a flyer promoting a non-existent sports shop attached to their handlebars. This needed to be removed before a bicycle could be ridden.
There were no rubbish bins in the alley, so a cyclist could take the flyer with him, hang it on another bicycle or throw it to the floor. When the alley contained graffiti, 69% of the riders littered compared with 33% when the walls were clean.
In a 2nd experiment, a temporary fence was used to close off a short cut to a car park, except for a narrow gap. Two signs were erected, one telling people there was no throughway and the other saying that bicycles must not be left locked to the fence. In the “order” condition (with 4 bicycles parked nearby, but not locked to the fence) 27% of people were prepared to trespass by stepping through the gap, whereas in the disorder condition (with the 4 bikes locked to the fence) 82% took the short cut.
It is against the law to let off fireworks in the Netherlands for several weeks before New Year’s Eve. In the 3rd experiment, 2 weeks before the festival, the researchers randomly let off firecrackers near a bicycle shed at a main railway station. With no fireworks, 48% of people took the flyers with them when they collected their bikes. With fireworks, 20%.
In the final experiment, an envelope with a €5 ($6) note inside (and the note clearly visible through the address window) was left sticking out of a mailbox. In a condition of order, 13% of those passing took the envelope. But if the post box was covered in graffiti, 27% did. When the mailbox had no graffiti on it, but the area around it was littered with paper, orange peel, cigarette butts and empty cans, 25% still took the envelope.