Regional variation in social norm nudges.

Public support is crucial for the effectiveness of ambitious climate policies, and social norm interventions have been proven effective in fostering support. An open question is which norms should be communicated if support and estimated support for climate policies differ substantially between regions. In two studies, we investigate whether individuals accurately assess the existing support and then explore the impact of national and regional norms on public support. Our results show that the norm on climate policy support is generally misperceived, i.e., the norm is higher than expected. This misperception increases with policy ambition and varies substantially between sub-national regions. Information about the national norm increases support, mainly in regions with below or above-average support. In contrast, interventions with regional norms are ineffective and even backfire in low-support regions. This demonstrates that norm nudges need to consider the regional aspects of the reference and target groups.

Beliefs About Cannabis Use Among Male and Female Andalusian Adolescents.

Objectives: This study assessed potential differences between girls and boys in the prevalence rates of cannabis use, sociodemographic factors, and beliefs about cannabis use. Methods: 1,896 Andalusian adolescents aged 14-18 participated in an online survey based on the I-Change model. The survey assessed their beliefs about cannabis use, including attitudes, social influences, self-efficacy, action planning, and intention to use. Multivariate analyses of variance were then conducted to examine potential gender differences in these beliefs, while controlling for last month's cannabis use. Results: Significantly more boys used cannabis in the last month, had boyfriends/girlfriends, and had more pocket money compared to girls. Additionally, girls - in comparison to boys - were more convinced of the disadvantages of cannabis use, but were also more convinced of some of the advantages (such as freedom from boredom, and medicinal use), reported having less favorable social norms for cannabis use, had more female best friends using cannabis, and felt pressure to use cannabis from their female peers. Conclusion: These findings highlight the need for cannabis prevention programs to consider gender differences in beliefs about cannabis use. Programs should not only address general risk factors for cannabis use but also evaluate if their interventions effectively target beliefs that are particularly important for girls and boys.

Inclusive classroom norms and children's expectations of inclusion of peers with learning difficulties in their social world.

We examined whether inclusive classroom norms predicted children's reasoning and expectations about the inclusion of peers with learning difficulties from different perspectives (i.e., self, friends, and unfamiliar story protagonist). Swiss elementary school children (N = 1019; 51% girls; Mage = 10.20 years; Grades 3-6) shared their perceptions of inclusive classroom norms and answered questions regarding the inclusion of a character with learning difficulties in an academic scenario. Multilevel analyses revealed that children expected less inclusion from their friends (estimated OR = 0.14, p < .001) or the unfamiliar story protagonist (estimated OR = 0.15, p < .001) than from themselves. Inclusive classroom norms positively predicted children's own (estimated OR = 3.17, p = .041) and their friends' inclusion expectations (estimated OR = 4.59, p = .007). Moreover, individuals who perceived higher inclusive norms than the classroom average were less concerned that the inclusion of the child with learning difficulties would threaten successful group functioning (γ = - 0.19, p = .011). To target the inclusion of children with learning difficulties, school psychologists can heighten classmates' perceptions of inclusive norms and pay attention to individual differences in norm perception.

Using Vignettes to Gain Insights Into Social Norms Related to Voluntary Family Planning and Gender-Based Violence in South Sudan.

Social norms are the shared expectations about behaviors that are held within collective groups. These differ from attitudes and beliefs, which are individually held. In South Sudan, social norms can affect the use of voluntary family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH); some of these norms even present risks for women seeking FP/RH care and their FP/RH providers. This cross-sectional, descriptive study conducted in 5 counties in South Sudan used vignettes as a qualitative method to explore social norms related to FP/RH and decisions related to contraceptive use and gender-based violence. Participants were asked to respond to vignettes about a fictional couple during various life stages of care-seeking. Vignettes allow respondents to share their opinions and feelings without directly speaking about their own experiences. Respondents included community members, FP/RH providers, and key influencers (e.g., religious leaders, traditional leaders, elders). The study identified restrictive social norms related to FP/RH, including entrenched, dominant gender roles (i.e., requiring male consent to use contraceptives) and risk for the woman and her provider if she accesses FP/RH services. Of note, supportive social norms are gaining acceptance regarding women's voice and agency; it was found that some women can negotiate their reproductive choice with their partners and participate in planning their families, which has not always been a widely accepted norm. The use of vignettes can lead to a better understanding of the challenges and provide insights on effective implementation approaches. It is essential for programs working to promote the use of FP/RH services in South Sudan to consider the challenges presented by social norms. Findings from this study were shared with stakeholders and communities to codesign interventions aimed at increasing the use of FP/RH services. Additionally, the dialogue stimulated by this study should lead to an organic transformation toward supportive social norms through collective agency.

The role of social norms, intergroup contact, and ingroup favoritism in weight stigma.

Although average body size in the U.S. has increased in recent decades, stigma directed at individuals with higher weight has not diminished. In this study, we explored this phenomenon by investigating the relationship between people's perceived social norms regarding higher weight and their reported levels of weight bias (i.e., anti-fat attitudes). Our predictions for perceived social norms drew on the concepts of intergroup contact and ingroup favoritism, which were also probed in this study. We hypothesized that both greater descriptive norms and more favorable injunctive norms regarding higher weight would be associated with lower reported weight bias. Individuals' quantity and quality of social contact with people with higher weight were also predicted to be associated with lower weight bias. Finally, we predicted that individuals who perceived themselves as heavier would display ingroup favoritism (i.e., report less weight bias). Participants (N = 272) from the United States completed a set of online questionnaires about their perceived social norms, social contact with people with higher weight, and explicit weight bias. We found support for each of these pre-registered predictions (ps < 0.03), and post hoc analyses revealed that quality, but not quantity, of social contact with individuals with higher weight was an important predictor of lower weight bias. Together, these findings provide insight into the social psychology of weight bias and help to lay a theoretical foundation for future efforts to reduce weight stigma.

Accustomed or Regulated: Influencing factors of two-wheeler riders' illegal Lane-Transgressing behavior when overtaking.

Illegal lane-transgressing is a typical aberrant riding behavior of riders of two-wheelers, i.e., motorcycles, bicycles, and e-bikes, which is highly frequent in accident reports. However, there is insufficient attention to this behavior at present. This study aims to explore the socio-psychologic factors that influence the illegal lane-transgressing behavior of two-wheeler riders when overtaking. For this purpose, a questionnaire was first composed. The questionnaire included the behavioral intention of two-wheeler riders towards illegal overtaking behavior and five influencing factors: safety knowledge, descriptive norms, injunctive norms, perceived behavior control, and risk perception. Second, a survey was conducted on different two-wheeler riders in Xi'an. Third, various types of two-wheelers were analyzed jointly and separately by structural equation models and analyses of variance. Results show that e-bike riders were more similar to motorcycle riders in behavioral intentions, with their risk perception weaker than other riders. Descriptive norms and perceived behavior control played the most significant roles in the structural equation model. It was also found that two-wheeler riders with a car license had better traffic safety performance. Based on the above results, it is recommended that attention be paid to illegal lane-transgression in the process of law enforcement and education, and a higher level of safety training should be provided for two-wheeler riders.

Booster effects and mechanisms of web-based personalised normative feedback alcohol intervention for college students: A pragmatic randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the effects of booster and no booster versions of web-based alcohol Personalised Normative Feedback (PNF) and whether descriptive norms mediated and/or participant motivation moderated the effectiveness of the intervention in real world conditions (i.e. no financial incentives). METHODS: Pragmatic randomised controlled trial with 1-, 3-, and 6-month assessments. Brazilian college students reporting alcohol use in the last 12 months (N=931) were recruited from May/2020 to December/2022 and allocated to 1) No booster/single PNF(S-PNF); 2) Booster/multiple PNF(M-PNF); or 3) Assessment-only control. We applied Helmert coding [1: Any intervention (S-PNF or M-PNF) vs. Control; and 2: S-PNF vs. M-PNF]. PRIMARY OUTCOMES: typical number of drinks/week and maximum number of drinks/week; secondary outcomes: drinking frequency and number of consequences. Three-months assessment was the primary interval. Descriptive norms were tested as mediator. Interest, importance, and readiness to change were examined as moderators. RESULTS: Compared to control, any intervention did not influence primary outcomes at 3-months or 6-months, but did at 1-month, when reduced typical drinking (IRR:0.77, 95%CI:0.66;0.90) and maximum number of drinks (IRR:0.69, 95%CI:0.58;0.82). There was an intervention effect on the consequences at 3-months. No differences were observed between S-PNF and M-PNF. No mediation effects were found at 3-months. At 6-months, there was an indirect effect on typical drinking through norms at 3-months (b=-0.82, 95%CI:-2.03;-0.12) and effects on maximum drinks through norms at 1-month (b=-0.54, 95%CI:-1.65;-0.02). No support for moderation was found. CONCLUSIONS: Intervention reduced alcohol drinking at 1 month only and was not effective thereafter. Mechanisms of effect remain unclear.

Intersectionality, gender norms, and young adolescents in context: a review of longitudinal multicountry research programmes to shape future action.

Discriminatory gender norms can intersect and interact with other dimensions of discrimination-such as age, race, ethnicity, disability, education status, and sexual orientation-to shape individuals' experiences and impact their health and wellbeing. This interaction is referred to as intersectionality. Although the theory has been in circulation since the late 1980s, only recently has it gained traction in low-income and middle-income settings, and it has yet to fully penetrate global research on adolescence. The social and structural intersectional drivers of adolescent health and wellbeing, particularly during early adolescence (age 10-14 years), are poorly understood. The evidence base for designing effective interventions for this formative period of life is therefore relatively small. In this Review, we examine how gender intersects with other forms of disadvantage in the early stages of adolescence. Analysing data from hybrid observation-intervention longitudinal studies with young adolescents in 16 countries, our aim is to inform the health and wellbeing of girls and boys from a range of social contexts, including in conflict settings. Adolescents' perceptions about gender norms vary by context, depend on individual opinion, and are shaped by socioecological drivers of gender inequalities in health. Shifting those perceptions is therefore challenging. We argue for the importance of applying an intersectionality lens to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for young adolescents and conclude with five practical recommendations for programme design and research.

The EMERGE framework to measure empowerment for health and development.

RATIONALE: Women's empowerment is a UN Sustainable Development Goal and a focus of global health and development but survey measures and data on gender empowerment remain weak. Existing indicators are often disconnected from theory; stronger operationalization is needed. OBJECTIVE: We present the EMERGE Framework to Measure Empowerment, a framework to strengthen empowerment measures for global health and development. METHOD: We initiated development of this framework in 2016 as part of EMERGE - an initiative designed to build the science of survey research and availability of high-quality survey measures and data on gender empowerment. The framework is guided by existing theories of empowerment, evidence, and expert input. We apply this framework to understand women's empowerment in family planning (FP) via review of state of the field measures. RESULTS: Our framework offers concrete measurable constructs to assess critical consciousness and choice, agency and backlash, and goal achievement as the empowerment process, recognizing its operation at multiple levels-from the individual to the collective. Internal attributes, social norms, and external contexts and resources create facilitators or barriers to the empowerment process. Review of best evidence FP measures assessing empowerment constructs, social norms, and key influencers (e.g., partners and providers) show a strong landscape of measures, including those with women, partners, and providers, but they are limited in assessing translation of choice to agency to achievement of women's self-determined fertility or contraceptive goals, instead relying on assumption of contraceptive use as the goal. We see no measures on collective empowerment toward women's reproductive choice and rights. CONCLUSION: The EMERGE Framework can guide development and analysis of survey measures on empowerment and is needed as the current state of the field shows limited coverage of empowerment constructs even in areas which have received more study, such as family planning.

Psychological factors influencing consumer intentions to consume cultured meat, fish and dairy.

This study investigates the structure of factors that influence consumer intentions to both try and to consume cultured proteins, and their intentions to substitute vegan, vegetarian and omnivore diets with these alternative protein sources. Comprehensive survey data (N = 3862) was collected from three Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, and Norway) and analysed using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling. Theoretically, this article draws from behavioural models of environmental psychology, identity theory, and attitude theory. Results indicate that beliefs about the necessity of an industry producing cultured proteins and impacts of cultured proteins on the global economy are significant predictors of consumer intentions. Moreover, participants who exhibited high levels of general and food innovativeness were more likely to express positive intentions to consume cultured proteins. Social norms influenced consumer intentions: Individuals surrounded by positive attitudes and intentions toward cultured proteins within their social networks were more inclined to want to consume these products. The predictor variables in the final model accounted for between 39% and 66% of the variance in the different cultured proteins related intentions. Understanding consumer intentions better can inform targeted communication strategies aimed at promoting the advantages of cultured proteins and facilitating its adoption.

Social impediments to meat-eaters' adherence to critical calls for a meat-free diet: An experimental test of social norm and message source effects.

Reducing meat consumption is highly effective for reducing personal carbon emissions, yet most people in Western nations still eat meat. We build on recent research highlighting that group boundaries may impede dietary change by (a) promoting pro-meat norms and (b) prohibiting critical calls for a veg* diet (vegetarian and vegan, i.e., meat-free). Past research relied on self-reports and behavioural measures of engagement, leaving open whether these effects extend to food consumption settings and ad-hoc meal choice. We conducted two pre-registered experiments in which meat-eaters read critical calls to adopt a veg* diet, either by a vegan (outgroup) or a meat-eater (ingroup). In Experiment 2, participants moreover read an article either highlighting a veg* or a meat-eating norm. We then assessed actual (Experiment 1) or hypothetical (Experiment 2) meal choice as dependent variables. As predicted, intergroup criticism (i.e., voiced by veg*s) consistently led to message rejection in comparison to the same criticism voiced by meat eaters, but we did not observe effects on meal choice. Norms neither had a main nor interaction effect on self-reports and behaviour. We discuss potential intermediary processes between engagement with and adoption of a vegan diet and derive evidence-based recommendations for constructive communication across group boundaries.

Exposure to user-generated e-cigarette content on social media associated with greater vulnerability to e-cigarette use among youth non-users.

INTRODUCTION: Social media are important venues for youth's exposure to e-cigarette content. This study examined how exposure to user-generated e-cigarette content (i.e., content created and shared by individual social media users) is associated with vulnerabilities to e-cigarette use among youth non-users. METHODS: We pooled data from the 2021 and 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey. Youth who have never used e-cigarettes were included. Weighted linear and logistic regressions were conducted to examine how exposure to user-generated e-cigarette content (from real-life friends, online-only friends, and celebrities/influencers) on social media was associated with e-cigarette use vulnerabilities measured by perceived norms, perceived risk, and susceptibility of use, controlling for demographics, advertising exposure, and mental health conditions. Multiple imputations were performed to account for missing data. RESULTS: Exposure to e-cigarette content on social media posted by real-life friends, online-only friends, and celebrities/influencers were associated with more positive descriptive norm (ßs = 1.56, 0.37, and 0.35, respectively, all ps < .001), more positive injunctive norm (ßs = 0.46, 0.19, and 0.10, respectively, all ps < .001), and higher odds of e-cigarette use susceptibility (ORs = 1.48, 1.50. 1.29, respectively, all ps < .001). Exposure to content posted by real-life and online-only friends were associated with reduced risk perception of e-cigarette use (ß = -0.04, p < 0.05 and ß = -0.07, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlighted that friends and celebrities/influencers are important sources on social media that can influence youth non-users' vulnerabilities to e-cigarette use. Interventional messages communicated through friends and influencers on social media may in turn help reduce e-cigarette vulnerability among youth non-users.

Covid-19 pandemic, social normative compliance, and sustainable consumption: Evidence from experiments.

This research aims to investigate the causal effects of consumers' Covid-19 pandemic experiences on their preferences for sustainable consumption. Drawing on social identity theory, we argue that pandemic experiences heighten consumers' awareness of the importance of adhering to collective social norms, subsequently motivating them to adopt sustainable consumption practices that promote collective interests. Through three preregistered experiments, we demonstrate that: (i) Covid-19 pandemic experiences increase consumers' preferences for sustainable consumption; (ii) this effect is more pronounced for individuals with severer pandemic experiences and females; (iii) pandemic experiences influence sustainable consumption preferences by enhancing consumers' social normative compliance. This study contributes to the understanding of Covid-19's consequences from a micro-level perspective of consumer behavior and offers insights into the factors driving consumers' sustainable consumption preferences.

Toolbox of individual-level interventions against online misinformation.

The spread of misinformation through media and social networks threatens many aspects of society, including public health and the state of democracies. One approach to mitigating the effect of misinformation focuses on individual-level interventions, equipping policymakers and the public with essential tools to curb the spread and influence of falsehoods. Here we introduce a toolbox of individual-level interventions for reducing harm from online misinformation. Comprising an up-to-date account of interventions featured in 81 scientific papers from across the globe, the toolbox provides both a conceptual overview of nine main types of interventions, including their target, scope and examples, and a summary of the empirical evidence supporting the interventions, including the methods and experimental paradigms used to test them. The nine types of interventions covered are accuracy prompts, debunking and rebuttals, friction, inoculation, lateral reading and verification strategies, media-literacy tips, social norms, source-credibility labels, and warning and fact-checking labels.

Clinician perspectives on adolescent cannabis-related beliefs and behaviors following recreational cannabis legalization.

BACKGROUND: As more states legalize cannabis, studies are needed to understand the potential impacts of recreational cannabis legalization (RCL) on adolescents from the perspective of clinicians who care for them. METHODS: This qualitative study characterized clinician perspectives on whether cannabis legalization is associated with changes in adolescents' cannabis use beliefs, behaviors, and consequences. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 32 clinicians in a large healthcare organization from 9/6/2022-12/21/2022. Video-recorded interviews were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: The 32 participants (56.3 % female, mean [SD] age, 45.9 [7.6] years; 65.3 % non-Hispanic White) were from Addiction Medicine (n = 13), Psychiatry/Mental Health (n = 7), Pediatrics (n = 5), and the Emergency Department (n = 7). Clinicians described post-RCL increases in adolescent cannabis use, use of non-combustible modes and high-potency products, and younger age of first use. Clinicians reported social, physical, and policy changes, including changes in social norms, appealing advertisements, marketing, and easier access. Many noted fewer perceived harms among adolescents and greater self-medication post-RCL. They described how RCL contributed to increased parental cannabis use and permissiveness around adolescent use. Finally, many described post-RCL increases in cannabis hyperemesis syndrome, and several noted increased cannabis-related psychosis and acute intoxication, and decreased court-mandated treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians from diverse specialties described post-RCL increases in adolescent cannabis use and cannabis-related consequences, alongside changes in social norms, access, marketing and advertisements, and decreased perceptions of harms. Findings can inform strategies to support adolescents in the context of increased cannabis availability and acceptability post-legalization and support the development of hypotheses for broader-scale quantitative work.

Professional's Views on the 'Nordic Paradox' in a Low Intimate Partner Violence Prevalence Country.

The apparently contradictory co-existence of high levels of gender equality and intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) found in Nordic countries has been termed the Nordic Paradox. The aim of this study was to examine how the Nordic Paradox is discussed and explained by Spanish professionals working in the IPVAW field. Five focus groups (n = 19) and interviews with key informants (n = 10) were conducted. Four main categories of possible explanations for the Nordic Paradox were identified: Macro-micro disconnect (i.e., discordance between individual beliefs and behaviors and macro-social norms of gender equality), IPVAW as multicausal (i.e., IPVAW defined as a multicausal phenomenon that does not necessarily have to be associated with gender equality), cultural patterns of social relationships (i.e., the role of social relationships and the way people relate to each other in the Nordic countries), and backlash effect (i.e., men's reaction to greater equality for women). Although this study does not provide a final explanation for the Nordic paradox, its results provide us with a better understanding of the phenomenon and can help to advance research in this field.

Tolerance for corruption and descriptive social norm: An experimental study of embezzlement.

Public tolerance for corruption within a society significantly influences the prevalence of corrupt practices, but less is known about how this tolerance evolves with social norms. This paper presents experimental evidences demonstrating that the descriptive social norm indicating widespread corruption can lead to increased tolerance for corruptive acts. We introduce an asymmetric information ultimatum game to simulate the interactions between embezzlers and citizens. Game theoretical analysis reveals that victims anticipating corruption will exhibit greater compliance with embezzlement when the offers are evaluated based on descriptive norms. To test the hypothesis, we employ a framing effect to induce variations in descriptive norms within a behavioral experiment. Although the treatment effect is significant only in the subgroup of student cadres, this subgroup demonstrated increased beliefs about embezzlement, greater tolerance for corruption, and a heightened propensity to embezzle when exposed to framings with hierarchical implications. This paper contributes to the corruption literature by examining the effects of descriptive norms on victims' responses to embezzlement. It offers a more comprehensive perspective on how social standards shape public opinions and corrupt actions, enhancing our understanding of the self-reinforcing nature of corruption.

Social norms that sustain transactional sex and associations with sexual health outcomes: A mixed-methods study in the Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé, a rural-Indigenous region of Panama.

The Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé (CNB), home to >200,000 Indigenous people, is one of the poorest regions in Panama. We describe transactional sex (TS) behaviours, normative beliefs and factors associated with TS among Indigenous adolescents(14-19years) in the CNB. We conducted a mixed-methods study in the CNB between January and November 2018, which included a qualitative study with participant observation and semi-structured interviews that focused on descriptive norms related to TS; and a cross-sectional study among public-school-going adolescents using self-administered questionnaire to report sexual behaviour and injunctive norms related to TS. Participants in the epidemiological study were also asked to submit samples for HIV, syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhoea testing. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to organise and analyse field notes and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative analysis included four models: TS experience and acceptance of a TS offer and the associations of these outcome variables with demographic and behavioural variables and HIV/STI infections. In the qualitative study among 20 adolescents, we found that people offering TS were reported to be from within and outside of the community, and included older men and women, and disturbingly, teachers. Participants reported feeling individual and collective agency in the decision to engage in TS and described little social sanctions for participation. In the quantitative study among 700 adolescents(309 girls[45.1%],379 boys[54.9%]), we found that girls(18.8%;58/309) and boys(15.5%;58/379) reported similar levels of having been offered TS, and of acceptance among those offered(girls 81.4% [35/43]; boys 77.8% [35/45]). TS was found to be associated with the reported forced sex and HIV/syphilis seropositivity. Due to widespread acceptance and feelings of agency, interventions would not be effective if they focused on eliminating the transactional component of sexual encounters. Instead, interventions should focus on individual and household economic stability, increasing violence reporting, bringing perpetrators to justice, and adopting condom use during all sexual encounters.

Nudge-based misinformation interventions are effective in information environments with low misinformation prevalence.

Nudge-based misinformation interventions are presented as cheap and effective ways to reduce the spread of misinformation online. However, despite online information environments typically containing relatively low volumes of misinformation, most studies testing the effectiveness of nudge interventions present equal proportions of true and false information. As the effectiveness of nudges can be highly context-dependent, it is imperative to validate the effectiveness of nudge-based interventions in environments with more realistic proportions of misinformation. The current study (N = 1387) assessed the effectiveness of a combined accuracy and social-norm nudge in simulated social-media environments with varying proportions of misinformation (50%, 20%, and 12.5%) relative to true and non-news-based (i.e., "social") information. The nudge intervention was effective at improving sharing discernment in conditions with lower proportions of misinformation, providing ecologically valid support for the use of nudge-based interventions to counter misinformation propagation on social media.

Compliance with COVID-19 Physical Distancing Mandates in Oman: The Role of Health Literacy and Internal Health Locus of Control.

BACKGROUND: Research indicates that the effectiveness of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) physical distancing mandates is influenced by several individual factors, including health literacy; internal health locus of control (IHLOC), the belief that physical distancing can reduce COVID-19 risk; social norms; self-efficacy; and perceptions of the benefits and barriers associated with distancing. However, further investigation is needed to understand the links between these factors and compliance intentions. OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the mechanism linking these factors with the intentions to comply with physical distancing mandates. METHODS: A total of 759 participants (Mean age = 29.13, standard deviation [SD] = 8.33; 68.5% women) were surveyed online from September 2020 to October 2020. Data were analyzed using ANOVA (analysis of variance) and structural equation modeling. KEY RESULTS: Health literacy was associated with more perceived benefits (ß = .175, p = .001), greater self-efficacy (ß = .193, p < .001), and less perceived barriers (ß = -.391, p < .001). IHLOC was significantly associated with greater perceived benefits (ß = .156, p = .007) and self-efficacy (ß = .294, p < .001). Family descriptive norms were significantly associated with fewer perceived barriers (ß = -.276, p < .001), while injunctive norms were associated with more perceived benefits (ß = .202, p = .001) and higher self-efficacy (ß = .299, p < .001). Intentions to adhere to physical distancing mandates were significantly associated with past compliance (ß = .427, p < .001) and perceived barriers (ß = -.205, p < .001) and benefits (ß = .295, p < .001). Post-hoc mediation analyses revealed several small yet significant indirect effects, highlighting the complex pathways shaping adherence intentions. CONCLUSIONS: This study identifies how health literacy, IHLOC, social norms, perceived benefits and barriers, and self-efficacy intricately shape intentions to comply with physical distancing mandates. These findings offer valuable implications for public health policy and interventions. [HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2024;8(2):e69-e78.].

PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: This study examined the factors associated with Omanis' intentions to comply with physical distancing mandates during COVID-19. Results revealed that individuals with higher health literacy perceived fewer barriers and more benefits to physical distancing, making them more willing to comply with mandates. Those who believed their actions could reduce the risk of contracting the virus also reported greater benefits and were more likely to comply.