The impacts of information factors and health beliefs on attitudes towards social distancing behaviour during COVID-19

ABSTRACT

This study examines the relationship between information factors (trustworthiness and information overload) and health beliefs (perceived susceptibility to and perceived severity of COVID-19) on attitudes towards social distancing behaviour. A pre-test of 204 adults was conducted to develop four scale items of information overload and three scale items of perceived susceptibility, respectively, for a study of 299 adults in the United States via Prolific questionnaire. Results showed that perceived trustworthiness in the CDC positively affected, while perceived trustworthiness in the then President, Donald Trump, negatively affected, attitudes towards social distancing. Information overload had a negative effect. Health beliefs positively affect attitudes towards social distancing. These results support the predictions of both Cognitive Load Theory and Protection Motivation Theory, extending them to a new context. Practically, marketers must evaluate the trustworthiness and truthfulness of both the source and context of health-related messaging to influence consumer behaviours.

KEYWORDS:

• Attitudes towards social distancing
• trustworthiness
• information overload
• health beliefs
• COVID-19 information

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. President Trump in office 20 January 2017–20 January 2021.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Enping (Shirley) Mai

Enping (Shirley) Mai is an associate professor of marketing at East Carolina University, North Carolina, USA. Her research focuses primarily on digital marketing, word-of-mouth, online community, and sharing economy. Her research has been published in several academic journals such as Marketing Letters, Psychology & Marketing, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Strategic Marketing, Journal of Internet Commerce, Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, and Journal of Statistical Planning and Inference.

Brian J. Taillon

Brian J. Taillon is an assistant professor of marketing at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, USA. His research interests include marketing communications, branding, and consumer behavior. Brian’s recent research articles can be found in the Journal of Strategic Marketing, Journal of Product & Brand Management, and Basic & Applied Social Psychology.

Diana L. Haytko

Diana L. Haytko is a professor and chair of marketing at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, USA. Her research interests include integrated marketing communication, interpersonal relationships, and consumer behavior. Her recent research has been published in many academic journals including Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Business Research, Basic & Applied Social Psychology, Marketing Education Review, and Journal of Retailing.