Bandwagoning, free-riding and heterogeneity in influenza vaccine decisions: An online experiment

Social Responsibility Appeal and Cross-Lagged Effects of Perceived Norms on Mask-Wearing Behavior During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study extends the Theory of Normative Social Behavior by examining the cross-lagged effects of perceived norms on mask-wearing intention and behavior during an evolving COVID-19 pandemic. We also investigate the normative mechanisms of how social responsibility appeals improve compliance with mask-wearing behavior. A two-wave panel survey (N = 767) was conducted in Singapore in March and April 2020. Findings show that injunctive norms increase subsequent intention, whereas descriptive norms reduce subsequent behavior. Individuals may find it unnecessary to wear masks when they perceive many others are engaging in the action. Our result shows that this counterproductive effect could be mitigated by a greater sense of social pressure to comply, which can be reinforced by using social responsibility appeals. Our findings offer insights for theory extension and norms-based intervention strategies in pandemic contexts.

Compliance with social norms in the face of risks: Delineating the roles of uncertainty about risk perceptions versus risk perceptions

Social norms are often considered as behavioral guidelines to mitigate health and environmental risks. However, our understanding of the magnitude of their impact on risk-mitigating behaviors and how perceptions of risks affect the magnitude remains limited. Given the increasing importance of understanding factors influencing behavioral responses to health and environmental risks, this research examines whether the relationship between social norms and behavioral intention to mitigate health and environmental risks is a function of (1) risk perceptions and (2) uncertainty about risk perceptions. A cross-sectional survey involving a national sample (N = 803) across three health and environmental risks (i.e., infectious diseases, climate change, and water shortage) is conducted. The results reveal a three-way interaction between descriptive norms, uncertainty about susceptibility, and uncertainty about severity on behavioral intention to mitigate the risk. Individuals exhibit the strongest intention to engage in risk-mitigating behaviors when they perceive prevailing social norms and are uncertain about their susceptibility to the risk and the severity of the risk. Moreover, injunctive norms interact with uncertainty about susceptibility to influence behavioral intention, such that the more uncertain individuals feel about their vulnerability to a risk, the stronger the impact of injunctive norms is on behavioral intention. Neither descriptive nor injunctive norms interact with perceived risks to influence behavioral intention. This study contributes valuable insights into the interplay between social norms, uncertainty about perceived risk, and behavioral intention, and offers valuable theoretical and practical implications.

Unraveling the Dark Side of Social Norms-Toward a Research Agenda on the Challenges of Social Norms in Health Communication

Social norms are a promising means in health crisis communication because they can guide collective action to reduce risk. However, recent research on the COVID-19 pandemic suggests that social norms may have not fully supported strategic goals and even contributed to phenomena that hindered risk reduction, calling into question the potential of social norms campaigns. This became most evident during the COVID-19 pandemic in the emergence of alternative norms of measure opposition, stigmatization of norm-deviant individuals, and the issue of free-riding. The article analyzes these phenomena from a social identity and communication perspective and outlines areas for further inquiry in health and crisis communication. The goal is to pave the way for a research agenda dedicated to the dark side of social norms to unlock the full potential of social norms in times of (health) crisis.

Compliance in the public versus the private realm: Economic preferences, institutional trust and COVID-19 health behaviors

To what extent do economic preferences and institutional trust predict compliance with physical distancing rules during the COVID-19 pandemic? We reexamine this question by introducing the theoretical and empirical distinction between individual health behaviors in the public and in the private domain (e.g., keeping a distance from strangers vs. abstaining from private gatherings with friends). Using structural equation modeling to analyze survey data from Germany's second wave of the pandemic (N = 3350), we reveal the following major differences between compliance in both domains: Social preferences, especially (positive) reciprocity, play an essential role in predicting compliance in the public domain but are barely relevant in the private domain. Conversely, individuals' degree of trust in the national government matters predominantly for increasing compliance in the private domain. The clearly strongest predictor in this domain is the perception pandemic-related threats. Our findings encourage tailoring communication strategies to either domain-specific circumstances or factors common across domains. Tailored communication may also help promote compliance with other health-related regulatory policies beyond COVID-19.

Timing of preventive behavior in the case of a new and evolving health risk: the case of COVID-19 vaccination

BACKGROUND

Time preferences for preventive behavior under novel risks and uncertain contexts may differ from timing preferences related to familiar risks. Therefore, it is crucial to examine drivers of preventative health behavior timing in light of new health risks. Using the case of COVID-19, we examine factors affecting vaccination timing plans when vaccines were widely available in the European Union (EU).

METHODS

We use data from the Flash Eurobarometer 494 survey (May 21-26, 2021), which collected information on EU residents' attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccinations. We also use the 'Our World in Data' vaccination database for country-level COVID-19 vaccination rates. Probit regressions were conducted to determine how local vaccination rates, trust in information sources, social norms, vaccine safety beliefs, and risk understanding affected the probability of COVID-19 vaccination delay.

RESULTS

Of total participants (n = 26,106), 9,063 (34.7%) were vaccinated, 7,114 (27.3%) wanted to get vaccinated as soon as possible, 5,168 (19.8%) wanted to delay vaccination and 2,962 (11.4%) resisted vaccination. Participants were more likely to delay COVID-19 vaccination if they lived in a country with lower vaccination prevalence, trusted online social networks, family, friends, and colleagues for vaccination information, were eager to follow vaccination-related social norms, expressed vaccine safety concerns, and understood the risk of catching COVID-19 without a vaccine to be lower.

CONCLUSIONS

Results from the study contribute to understanding important factors that predict timing of vaccination plans. These findings can also contribute to the wider knowledge base about timing of preventive behavior uptake in novel risk contexts.

Happiness predicts compliance with preventive health behaviours during Covid-19 lockdowns

To combat the public health crisis of Covid-19, governments and public health officials have been asking individuals to substantially change their behaviours for prolonged periods of time. Are happier people more willing to comply with such measures? Using independent, large-scale surveys covering about 79,000 adult respondents across 29 countries, including longitudinal data from the UK, we find that life satisfaction predicts compliance with preventive health behaviours during Covid-19 lockdowns, especially the number of weekdays stood at home (β = 0.02, p < 0.01). The association is stronger for higher levels of life satisfaction (e.g. β = 0.19, p < 0.01, 7 on a 0-to-10 scale). Lower life satisfaction, on the contrary, predicts lower compliance (e.g. β = 0.02, p > 0.10, 2 on a 0-to-10 scale). We explore risk-avoidance and pro-social motivations for this relationship, and find suggestive evidence that people who are older or have certain medical preconditions seem to be behave in line with risk-avoidance, whereas motivations of people who are less at risk of Covid-19 seem more mixed. While it is difficult to estimate the relationship between life satisfaction and compliance behaviour due to potential confounders and unobserved heterogeneity, our findings suggest that life satisfaction is important, both for complying with preventive health measures and as a policy end in itself.

The Joint Effects of Social Norm Appeals and Fear Appeals in COVID-19 Vaccine Campaign Posters on Self-Perceived Communication Quality and Vaccination Intention

To understand how different types of cues in vaccine education messages affect attitude toward campaign messages and vaccination intention, this study examined the impact of the presence of social norm appeals (individual vs. group cues) and the presence of fear appeals in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine campaign posters on perceived communication quality and vaccination intention. A 2 (social norm appeal: individual cue vs. group cue) × 2 (fear appeal: absence vs. presence) × 3 (repetition) within-subject factorial design experiment was conducted in China. Findings demonstrated that the presence of fear appeals in COVID-19 vaccine campaign posters elicited lower levels of perceived communication quality and vaccination intention than those without fear appeals. The interactive effect of fear appeals and social norm appeals was also found to be significant. Specifically, positive-framed messages (i.e., absence of fear appeals) with group cues and fear appeal messages with individual cues elicited higher perceived information quality and stronger vaccination intention than other types of messages. Understanding how these cues function jointly in COVID-19 vaccine campaign messages will help public health practitioners create more effective intervention strategies.