https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3977-5351
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ABSTRACT
Recent research shows social norm perceptions predict people’s adherence to COVID-19 preventative health practices. Nonetheless, additional empirical studies are necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of different types of social norm messages on behavioral outcomes with experimental designs. Guided by the social norm literature and frameworks, the current research addresses this need by examining the effects of descriptive and injunctive norm appeals promoting the practice of social distancing and mask-wearing with both a controlled experiment and social media campaigns. Results from this multistudy investigation showed the effectiveness of descriptive and injunctive norm messages (v. no message exposure) in promoting focal behaviors and highlighted the superiority of injunctive norm appeals in promoting behavioral intentions and increasing social media engagement. Theoretical implications and recommendations for practice are discussed.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Ms. Marcela Yubeta for her assistance in designing the experiment messages and social media posters.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Supplementary material
Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2023.2284493
Notes
1. When being asked about their plan for returning to campus in Fall 2020, around half of the participants (52.7%) indicated “Yes-100% sure” (35.8%) or “Yes-very likely” (16.9%).
2. Detailed CFA results are available upon request.
3. These tests involve comparing the proportions of two groups at a time, rather than comparing all groups simultaneously. The results of pairwise proportion tests can help identify significant differences between groups and provide a control for the probability of making a Type I error, with correction for multiple testing (Marascuilo, Citation1966).