Enveloped in mediated pandemic: Immersion as a mediator of the effects of media exposure on perceived severity and behavioral intention

Abstract

This study examines the effects of media exposure on perceived severity of the pandemic and people’s intention to get the COVID-19 vaccine, here as mediated by immersion. Informed by transportation theory and construal level theory, the study incorporates immersion evoked by media messages to analyze the psychological mechanism connecting media exposure and people’s evaluation of and behavioral intentions toward the public health crisis. Using data collected from a random sample of 1190 college students in China, media exposure was found not to be directly associated with perceived severity of the pandemic and people’s intention to get the COVID-19 vaccine; instead, the relationships were mediated by media immersion. Perceived severity of the pandemic also mediated the relationship between media exposure and protective behavioral intention.