How to Encourage “Togetherness by Keeping Apart” amid COVID-19? The Ineffectiveness of Prosocial and Empathy Appeals
Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift › Tidsskriftartikel › Forskning › fagfællebedømt
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How to Encourage “Togetherness by Keeping Apart” amid COVID-19? The Ineffectiveness of Prosocial and Empathy Appeals. / Favero, Nathan; Pedersen, Mogens Jin.
I: Journal of Behavioral Public Administration, Bind 3, Nr. 2, 2020.Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift › Tidsskriftartikel › Forskning › fagfællebedømt
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TY - JOUR
T1 - How to Encourage “Togetherness by Keeping Apart” amid COVID-19?
T2 - The Ineffectiveness of Prosocial and Empathy Appeals
AU - Favero, Nathan
AU - Pedersen, Mogens Jin
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - The COVID-19 pandemic is a major challenge facing societies around the world. Citizen engagement in “social distancing” is a key containment measure for curtailing the spread of the virus. But what kind of information should governments use for encouraging social distancing compliance? Using data from a pre-registered survey experiment among US residents (n = 1,502), we examine how five distinct COVID-19 information cues—which each appeal to prosocial motivation and empathy in varying degree—affect people’s willingness to social distance. We find no significant differences across experimental conditions in terms of (a) the duration that respondents are willing to maintain social distancing, (b) intended social distancing behavior, or (c) COVID-19-related attitudes and beliefs. Our findings should not necessarily discourage decision-makers from priming prosocial motivation and empathy as means for promoting social distancing, but they do suggest a current need for more engaging medium than simple textual messages for such appeals.
AB - The COVID-19 pandemic is a major challenge facing societies around the world. Citizen engagement in “social distancing” is a key containment measure for curtailing the spread of the virus. But what kind of information should governments use for encouraging social distancing compliance? Using data from a pre-registered survey experiment among US residents (n = 1,502), we examine how five distinct COVID-19 information cues—which each appeal to prosocial motivation and empathy in varying degree—affect people’s willingness to social distance. We find no significant differences across experimental conditions in terms of (a) the duration that respondents are willing to maintain social distancing, (b) intended social distancing behavior, or (c) COVID-19-related attitudes and beliefs. Our findings should not necessarily discourage decision-makers from priming prosocial motivation and empathy as means for promoting social distancing, but they do suggest a current need for more engaging medium than simple textual messages for such appeals.
KW - Faculty of Social Sciences
KW - Coronavirus
KW - COVID-19
KW - Social distancing
KW - Survey experiment
U2 - 10.30636/jbpa.32.167
DO - 10.30636/jbpa.32.167
M3 - Journal article
VL - 3
JO - Journal of Behavioral Public Administration
JF - Journal of Behavioral Public Administration
SN - 2576-6465
IS - 2
ER -
ID: 245416024