Moral reframing of messages about mask-wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sci Rep
; 13(1): 10140, 2023 06 22.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37349385
ABSTRACT
When communicating about political issues, messages targeted to resonate with the core values of the receiver may be effective, an approach known as moral reframing. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we tested the relationships between moral values and mask-wearing in a sample (N = 540) of self-identified liberals, conservatives, and moderates in the United States. Anti-mask attitudes were stronger in conservatives, and were associated with increased concerns for in-group loyalty, national identity, and personal liberty. We then crafted messages about the benefits of mask-wearing framed to resonate with these moral concerns, and in a pre-registered study of N = 597 self-identified U.S. conservatives, tested the effect of moral reframing on anti-mask attitudes and behaviors. Messages framed in terms of loyalty, with appeals to the protection of the community and America, were effective in reducing anti-mask beliefs, compared with unrelated control messages and messages delivering purely scientific information, and these changes in belief persisted for at least 1 week. Exploratory analyses showed that participants who saw loyalty-framed messages reported wearing masks in public more frequently in the subsequent week. This study provides evidence that framing messages about health behaviors in terms of group loyalty may be one productive way of communicating with conservative audiences.
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
COVID-19
Limite:
Humans
País/Região como assunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Sci Rep
Ano de publicação:
2023
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Estados Unidos