Home > Research > Publications & Outputs > In COVID-19 Health Messaging, Loss Framing Incr...

Research

Electronic data

  • PSACR001_Manuscript_20220412

    Rights statement: The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s42761-022-00128-3

    Accepted author manuscript, 607 KB, PDF document

    Available under license: Other

Links

Text available via DOI:

View graph of relations

In COVID-19 Health Messaging, Loss Framing Increases Anxiety with Little-to-No Concomitant Benefits: Experimental Evidence from 84 Countries

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

Published

Standard

In COVID-19 Health Messaging, Loss Framing Increases Anxiety with Little-to-No Concomitant Benefits: Experimental Evidence from 84 Countries. / PSA - Psych Science Accelerator ; Warmelink, Lara.
In: Affective science, Vol. 3, No. 3, 30.09.2022, p. 577-602.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

Harvard

PSA - Psych Science Accelerator & Warmelink, L 2022, 'In COVID-19 Health Messaging, Loss Framing Increases Anxiety with Little-to-No Concomitant Benefits: Experimental Evidence from 84 Countries', Affective science, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 577-602. https://doi.org/https://psyarxiv.com/sevkf/, https://doi.org/10.1007/s42761-022-00128-3

APA

PSA - Psych Science Accelerator, & Warmelink, L. (2022). In COVID-19 Health Messaging, Loss Framing Increases Anxiety with Little-to-No Concomitant Benefits: Experimental Evidence from 84 Countries. Affective science, 3(3), 577-602. https://doi.org/https://psyarxiv.com/sevkf/, https://doi.org/10.1007/s42761-022-00128-3

Vancouver

PSA - Psych Science Accelerator, Warmelink L. In COVID-19 Health Messaging, Loss Framing Increases Anxiety with Little-to-No Concomitant Benefits: Experimental Evidence from 84 Countries. Affective science. 2022 Sept 30;3(3):577-602. Epub 2022 Sept 26. doi: https://psyarxiv.com/sevkf/, 10.1007/s42761-022-00128-3

Author

PSA - Psych Science Accelerator ; Warmelink, Lara. / In COVID-19 Health Messaging, Loss Framing Increases Anxiety with Little-to-No Concomitant Benefits : Experimental Evidence from 84 Countries. In: Affective science. 2022 ; Vol. 3, No. 3. pp. 577-602.

Bibtex

@article{8f166054ac6c47c0be7908ea33a9ffe0,
title = "In COVID-19 Health Messaging, Loss Framing Increases Anxiety with Little-to-No Concomitant Benefits: Experimental Evidence from 84 Countries",
abstract = "The COVID-19 pandemic (and its aftermath) highlights a critical need to communicate health information effectively to the global public. Given that subtle differences in information framing can have meaningful effects on behavior, behavioral science research highlights a pressing question: Is it more effective to frame COVID-19 health messages in terms of potential losses (e.g., {"}If you do not practice these steps, you can endanger yourself and others{"}) or potential gains (e.g., {"}If you practice these steps, you can protect yourself and others{"})? Collecting data in 48 languages from 15,929 participants in 84 countries, we experimentally tested the effects of message framing on COVID-19-related judgments, intentions, and feelings. Loss- (vs. gain-) framed messages increased self-reported anxiety among participants cross-nationally with little-to-no impact on policy attitudes, behavioral intentions, or information seeking relevant to pandemic risks. These results were consistent across 84 countries, three variations of the message framing wording, and 560 data processing and analytic choices. Thus, results provide an empirical answer to a global communication question and highlight the emotional toll of loss-framed messages. Critically, this work demonstrates the importance of considering unintended affective consequences when evaluating nudge-style interventions.",
author = "{PSA - Psych Science Accelerator} and Dorison, {Charles A} and Lerner, {Jennifer S} and Heller, {Blake H} and Rothman, {Alexander J} and Kawachi, {Ichiro I} and Ke Wang and Rees, {Vaughan W} and Gill, {Brian P} and Nancy Gibbs and Ebersole, {Charles R} and Zahir Vally and Zuzanna Tajchman and Zsido, {Andras N} and Mija Zrimsek and Zhang Chen and Ignazio Ziano and Zoi Gialitaki and Ceary, {Chris D} and Yijun Lin and Yoshihiko Kunisato and Yuki Yamada and Qinyu Xiao and Xiaoming Jiang and Xinkai Du and Elvin Yao and Wilson, {John Paul} and Wilson Cyrus-Lai and William Jimenez-Leal and Wilbert Law and Collins, {W Matthew} and Richard, {Karley L} and Marek Vranka and Vladislav Ankushev and Vidar Schei and Valerija Kri{\v z}ani{\'c} and Kadreva, {Veselina Hristova} and Adoric, {Vera Cubela} and Tran, {Ulrich S} and Yeung, {Siu Kit} and Widad Hassan and Ralph Houston and Lima, {Tiago J S} and Thomas Ostermann and Thomas Frizzo and Sverdrup, {Therese E} and Thea House and Tripat Gill and Maksim Fedotov and Tamar Paltrow and Lara Warmelink",
note = "The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s42761-022-00128-3",
year = "2022",
month = sep,
day = "30",
doi = "https://psyarxiv.com/sevkf/",
language = "English",
volume = "3",
pages = "577--602",
journal = "Affective science",
issn = "2662-2041",
publisher = "Springer",
number = "3",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - In COVID-19 Health Messaging, Loss Framing Increases Anxiety with Little-to-No Concomitant Benefits

T2 - Experimental Evidence from 84 Countries

AU - PSA - Psych Science Accelerator

AU - Dorison, Charles A

AU - Lerner, Jennifer S

AU - Heller, Blake H

AU - Rothman, Alexander J

AU - Kawachi, Ichiro I

AU - Wang, Ke

AU - Rees, Vaughan W

AU - Gill, Brian P

AU - Gibbs, Nancy

AU - Ebersole, Charles R

AU - Vally, Zahir

AU - Tajchman, Zuzanna

AU - Zsido, Andras N

AU - Zrimsek, Mija

AU - Chen, Zhang

AU - Ziano, Ignazio

AU - Gialitaki, Zoi

AU - Ceary, Chris D

AU - Lin, Yijun

AU - Kunisato, Yoshihiko

AU - Yamada, Yuki

AU - Xiao, Qinyu

AU - Jiang, Xiaoming

AU - Du, Xinkai

AU - Yao, Elvin

AU - Wilson, John Paul

AU - Cyrus-Lai, Wilson

AU - Jimenez-Leal, William

AU - Law, Wilbert

AU - Collins, W Matthew

AU - Richard, Karley L

AU - Vranka, Marek

AU - Ankushev, Vladislav

AU - Schei, Vidar

AU - Križanić, Valerija

AU - Kadreva, Veselina Hristova

AU - Adoric, Vera Cubela

AU - Tran, Ulrich S

AU - Yeung, Siu Kit

AU - Hassan, Widad

AU - Houston, Ralph

AU - Lima, Tiago J S

AU - Ostermann, Thomas

AU - Frizzo, Thomas

AU - Sverdrup, Therese E

AU - House, Thea

AU - Gill, Tripat

AU - Fedotov, Maksim

AU - Paltrow, Tamar

AU - Warmelink, Lara

N1 - The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s42761-022-00128-3

PY - 2022/9/30

Y1 - 2022/9/30

N2 - The COVID-19 pandemic (and its aftermath) highlights a critical need to communicate health information effectively to the global public. Given that subtle differences in information framing can have meaningful effects on behavior, behavioral science research highlights a pressing question: Is it more effective to frame COVID-19 health messages in terms of potential losses (e.g., "If you do not practice these steps, you can endanger yourself and others") or potential gains (e.g., "If you practice these steps, you can protect yourself and others")? Collecting data in 48 languages from 15,929 participants in 84 countries, we experimentally tested the effects of message framing on COVID-19-related judgments, intentions, and feelings. Loss- (vs. gain-) framed messages increased self-reported anxiety among participants cross-nationally with little-to-no impact on policy attitudes, behavioral intentions, or information seeking relevant to pandemic risks. These results were consistent across 84 countries, three variations of the message framing wording, and 560 data processing and analytic choices. Thus, results provide an empirical answer to a global communication question and highlight the emotional toll of loss-framed messages. Critically, this work demonstrates the importance of considering unintended affective consequences when evaluating nudge-style interventions.

AB - The COVID-19 pandemic (and its aftermath) highlights a critical need to communicate health information effectively to the global public. Given that subtle differences in information framing can have meaningful effects on behavior, behavioral science research highlights a pressing question: Is it more effective to frame COVID-19 health messages in terms of potential losses (e.g., "If you do not practice these steps, you can endanger yourself and others") or potential gains (e.g., "If you practice these steps, you can protect yourself and others")? Collecting data in 48 languages from 15,929 participants in 84 countries, we experimentally tested the effects of message framing on COVID-19-related judgments, intentions, and feelings. Loss- (vs. gain-) framed messages increased self-reported anxiety among participants cross-nationally with little-to-no impact on policy attitudes, behavioral intentions, or information seeking relevant to pandemic risks. These results were consistent across 84 countries, three variations of the message framing wording, and 560 data processing and analytic choices. Thus, results provide an empirical answer to a global communication question and highlight the emotional toll of loss-framed messages. Critically, this work demonstrates the importance of considering unintended affective consequences when evaluating nudge-style interventions.

U2 - https://psyarxiv.com/sevkf/

DO - https://psyarxiv.com/sevkf/

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 36185503

VL - 3

SP - 577

EP - 602

JO - Affective science

JF - Affective science

SN - 2662-2041

IS - 3

ER -