Don’t get it or don’t spread it: comparing self-interested versus prosocial motivations for COVID-19 prevention behaviors
Abstract COVID-19 prevention behaviors may be seen as self-interested or prosocial. Using American samples from MTurk and Prolific (total n = 6850), we investigated which framing is more effective—and motivation is stronger—for fostering prevention behavior intentions. We evaluated messaging that em...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2021-10-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-97617-5 |
| _version_ | 1818883395519774720 |
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| author | Jillian J. Jordan Erez Yoeli David G. Rand |
| author_facet | Jillian J. Jordan Erez Yoeli David G. Rand |
| author_sort | Jillian J. Jordan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract COVID-19 prevention behaviors may be seen as self-interested or prosocial. Using American samples from MTurk and Prolific (total n = 6850), we investigated which framing is more effective—and motivation is stronger—for fostering prevention behavior intentions. We evaluated messaging that emphasized personal, public, or personal and public benefits of prevention. In initial studies (conducted March 14–16, 2020), the Public treatment was more effective than the Personal treatment, and no less effective than the Personal + Public treatment. In additional studies (conducted April 17–30, 2020), all three treatments were similarly effective. Across all these studies, the perceived public threat of coronavirus was also more strongly associated with prevention intentions than the perceived personal threat. Furthermore, people who behaved prosocially in incentivized economic games years before the pandemic had greater prevention intentions. Finally, in a field experiment (conducted December 21–23, 2020), we used our three messaging strategies to motivate contact-tracing app signups (n = 152,556 newsletter subscribers). The design of this experiment prevents strong causal inference; however, the results provide suggestive evidence that the Personal + Public treatment may have been more effective than the Personal or Public treatment. Together, our results highlight the importance of prosocial motives for COVID-19 prevention. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T15:32:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8c5676f0d584477c83efb0c16bc1effc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T15:32:58Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-8c5676f0d584477c83efb0c16bc1effc2022-12-21T20:15:41ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222021-10-0111111710.1038/s41598-021-97617-5Don’t get it or don’t spread it: comparing self-interested versus prosocial motivations for COVID-19 prevention behaviorsJillian J. Jordan0Erez Yoeli1David G. Rand2Harvard Business SchoolSloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologySloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyAbstract COVID-19 prevention behaviors may be seen as self-interested or prosocial. Using American samples from MTurk and Prolific (total n = 6850), we investigated which framing is more effective—and motivation is stronger—for fostering prevention behavior intentions. We evaluated messaging that emphasized personal, public, or personal and public benefits of prevention. In initial studies (conducted March 14–16, 2020), the Public treatment was more effective than the Personal treatment, and no less effective than the Personal + Public treatment. In additional studies (conducted April 17–30, 2020), all three treatments were similarly effective. Across all these studies, the perceived public threat of coronavirus was also more strongly associated with prevention intentions than the perceived personal threat. Furthermore, people who behaved prosocially in incentivized economic games years before the pandemic had greater prevention intentions. Finally, in a field experiment (conducted December 21–23, 2020), we used our three messaging strategies to motivate contact-tracing app signups (n = 152,556 newsletter subscribers). The design of this experiment prevents strong causal inference; however, the results provide suggestive evidence that the Personal + Public treatment may have been more effective than the Personal or Public treatment. Together, our results highlight the importance of prosocial motives for COVID-19 prevention.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-97617-5 |
| spellingShingle | Jillian J. Jordan Erez Yoeli David G. Rand Don’t get it or don’t spread it: comparing self-interested versus prosocial motivations for COVID-19 prevention behaviors Scientific Reports |
| title | Don’t get it or don’t spread it: comparing self-interested versus prosocial motivations for COVID-19 prevention behaviors |
| title_full | Don’t get it or don’t spread it: comparing self-interested versus prosocial motivations for COVID-19 prevention behaviors |
| title_fullStr | Don’t get it or don’t spread it: comparing self-interested versus prosocial motivations for COVID-19 prevention behaviors |
| title_full_unstemmed | Don’t get it or don’t spread it: comparing self-interested versus prosocial motivations for COVID-19 prevention behaviors |
| title_short | Don’t get it or don’t spread it: comparing self-interested versus prosocial motivations for COVID-19 prevention behaviors |
| title_sort | don t get it or don t spread it comparing self interested versus prosocial motivations for covid 19 prevention behaviors |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-97617-5 |
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