Information Safety Assurances Increase Intentions to Use COVID-19 Contact Tracing Applications, Regardless of Autonomy-Supportive or Controlling Message Framing
Promoting the use of contact tracing technology will be an important step in global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Across two studies, we assessed two messaging strategies as motivators of intended contact tracing uptake. In one sample of 1117 Australian adults and one sample of 888 American a...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.591638/full |
| _version_ | 1818426442262773760 |
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| author | Emma L. Bradshaw Richard M. Ryan Michael Noetel Alexander K. Saeri Peter Slattery Emily Grundy Rafael Calvo |
| author_facet | Emma L. Bradshaw Richard M. Ryan Michael Noetel Alexander K. Saeri Peter Slattery Emily Grundy Rafael Calvo |
| author_sort | Emma L. Bradshaw |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Promoting the use of contact tracing technology will be an important step in global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Across two studies, we assessed two messaging strategies as motivators of intended contact tracing uptake. In one sample of 1117 Australian adults and one sample of 888 American adults, we examined autonomy-supportive and controlling message framing and the presence or absence of information safety as predictors of intended contact tracing application uptake, using an online randomized 2 × 2 experimental design. The results suggested that the provision of data safety assurances may be key in affecting people’s intentions to use contact tracing technology, an effect we found in both samples regardless of whether messages were framed as autonomy-supportive or controlling. Those in high information safety conditions consistently reported higher intended uptake and more positive perceptions of the application than those in low information safety conditions. In Study 2, we also found that perceptions of government legitimacy related positively to intended application uptake, as did political affiliation. In sum, individuals appeared more willing to assent to authority regarding contact tracing insofar as their data safety can be assured. Yet, public messaging strategies alone may be insufficient to initiate intentions to change behavior, even in these unprecedented circumstances. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T14:29:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-990aaef2252345a1b328577c447388b4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T14:29:54Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-990aaef2252345a1b328577c447388b42022-12-21T22:57:50ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782021-01-011110.3389/fpsyg.2020.591638591638Information Safety Assurances Increase Intentions to Use COVID-19 Contact Tracing Applications, Regardless of Autonomy-Supportive or Controlling Message FramingEmma L. Bradshaw0Richard M. Ryan1Michael Noetel2Alexander K. Saeri3Peter Slattery4Emily Grundy5Rafael Calvo6Institute for Positive Psychology and Education, Australian Catholic University, North Sydney, NSW, AustraliaInstitute for Positive Psychology and Education, Australian Catholic University, North Sydney, NSW, AustraliaSchool of Health and Behavioural Sciences, Australian Catholic University, Brisbane, QLD, AustraliaMonash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, AustraliaMonash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, AustraliaMonash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, AustraliaDyson School of Design Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Imperial College London, London, United KingdomPromoting the use of contact tracing technology will be an important step in global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Across two studies, we assessed two messaging strategies as motivators of intended contact tracing uptake. In one sample of 1117 Australian adults and one sample of 888 American adults, we examined autonomy-supportive and controlling message framing and the presence or absence of information safety as predictors of intended contact tracing application uptake, using an online randomized 2 × 2 experimental design. The results suggested that the provision of data safety assurances may be key in affecting people’s intentions to use contact tracing technology, an effect we found in both samples regardless of whether messages were framed as autonomy-supportive or controlling. Those in high information safety conditions consistently reported higher intended uptake and more positive perceptions of the application than those in low information safety conditions. In Study 2, we also found that perceptions of government legitimacy related positively to intended application uptake, as did political affiliation. In sum, individuals appeared more willing to assent to authority regarding contact tracing insofar as their data safety can be assured. Yet, public messaging strategies alone may be insufficient to initiate intentions to change behavior, even in these unprecedented circumstances.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.591638/fullcoronavirusautonomyinformation securityself-determination theorycontrollingmessage framing |
| spellingShingle | Emma L. Bradshaw Richard M. Ryan Michael Noetel Alexander K. Saeri Peter Slattery Emily Grundy Rafael Calvo Information Safety Assurances Increase Intentions to Use COVID-19 Contact Tracing Applications, Regardless of Autonomy-Supportive or Controlling Message Framing Frontiers in Psychology coronavirus autonomy information security self-determination theory controlling message framing |
| title | Information Safety Assurances Increase Intentions to Use COVID-19 Contact Tracing Applications, Regardless of Autonomy-Supportive or Controlling Message Framing |
| title_full | Information Safety Assurances Increase Intentions to Use COVID-19 Contact Tracing Applications, Regardless of Autonomy-Supportive or Controlling Message Framing |
| title_fullStr | Information Safety Assurances Increase Intentions to Use COVID-19 Contact Tracing Applications, Regardless of Autonomy-Supportive or Controlling Message Framing |
| title_full_unstemmed | Information Safety Assurances Increase Intentions to Use COVID-19 Contact Tracing Applications, Regardless of Autonomy-Supportive or Controlling Message Framing |
| title_short | Information Safety Assurances Increase Intentions to Use COVID-19 Contact Tracing Applications, Regardless of Autonomy-Supportive or Controlling Message Framing |
| title_sort | information safety assurances increase intentions to use covid 19 contact tracing applications regardless of autonomy supportive or controlling message framing |
| topic | coronavirus autonomy information security self-determination theory controlling message framing |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.591638/full |
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