Framing the Predicted Impacts of COVID-19 Prophylactic Measures in Terms of Lives Saved Rather Than Deaths Is More Effective for Older People
This paper contributes to the literature on public health communication by studying how the framing of a message relaying the forecast impact of COVID-19 prevention measures affects compliance behaviour amongst both the young and old. A representative sample of survey respondents in the UK and US, along with selected respondents in Italy, were presented with forecasts for the number of deaths from COVID-19 in their countries with and without public adherence to various preventive behaviours. We experimentally varied whether this information was presented in terms of likely deaths or lives saved. The lives saved frame increases reported protective behaviours, but only amongst older respondents. We present evidence consistent with the hypothesis that framing is likelier to affect decisions whose consequences are felt by oneself (i.e. protective behaviours by the elderly) rather than solely others (i.e. protective behaviours amongst the young).
Year of publication: |
2020
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Authors: | Biroli, Pietro ; Bosworth, Steven J. ; Della Giusta, Marina ; Di Girolamo, Amalia ; Jaworska, Sylvia ; Vollen, Jeremy |
Publisher: |
Bonn : Institute of Labor Economics (IZA) |
Subject: | framing | protective behaviours | cooperation | age | gender | COVID-19 |
Saved in:
freely available
Series: | IZA Discussion Papers ; 13753 |
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Type of publication: | Book / Working Paper |
Type of publication (narrower categories): | Working Paper |
Language: | English |
Other identifiers: | 1735502731 [GVK] hdl:10419/227280 [Handle] RePEc:iza:izadps:dp13753 [RePEc] |
Classification: | D03 - Behavioral Economics; Underlying Principles ; D83 - Search, Learning, Information and Knowledge ; D84 - Expectations; Speculations ; D85 - Network Formation ; J16 - Economics of Gender ; J24 - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity |
Source: |
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10012322552