Abstract
BackgroundUnder opt-out organ donation policies, individuals are automatically considered to have agreed to donate their organs in the absence of a recorded opt-out decision. Growing evidence suggests that the language used within organ donation campaigns influences donor intentions and decision-making.PurposeAs awareness campaigns to promote opt-out consent in the UK are ongoing, the objectives of this study were to investigate the effect of language and message framing used in opt-out organ donation campaigns on donor intentions and psychological reactance.MethodsIndividuals from Scotland and England (N = 1,350) completed this online experiment. Participants were randomized to view one of four messages, designed in the format of a newspaper article, which described the upcoming opt-out system. This followed a 2 × 2 design whereby the degree of threatening language (high threat vs. low threat) and message framing (loss vs. gain) of the newspaper article was experimentally manipulated. Measures of intention (pre-exposure and postexposure) and postmessage reactance (threat to freedom and anger and counter-arguing) were obtained.ResultsA mixed analysis of variance revealed a significant Group × Time interaction on donor intentions; post hoc analysis revealed that intentions significantly decreased for individuals exposed to the High threat × Loss frame article but significantly increased for those exposed to the High threat × Gain frame article.ConclusionsIn campaigns to promote opt-out legislation, high-threat language combined with loss-frame messages should be avoided. If high-threat language is used, gain-frame messaging that highlights the benefits of organ donation should also be incorporated.
Highlights
Across the world, there is a disparity between the limited number of organ donors and the growing demand for transplantation [1]
Eligible adults will be automatically considered to consent for organ donation in the absence of a formally recorded opt-out decision
Evidence has emphasized the important role of affective beliefs on donor decision-making among nations with opt-in organ donation policies [3,4,5]
Summary
There is a disparity between the limited number of organ donors and the growing demand for transplantation [1]. In an effort to increase the number of donors, nations across the world are implementing opt-out consent legislation. The opt-out policies in Brazil and Chile were revised following a considerable postimplementation decline in transplantation rates and an increase in family refusal [6,7,8]. This was attributed to heightened concerns ann. Growing evidence suggests that the language used within organ donation campaigns influences donor intentions and decision-making. Purpose As awareness campaigns to promote opt-out consent in the UK are ongoing, the objectives of this study were to investigate the effect of language and message framing used in opt-out organ donation campaigns on donor intentions and psychological reactance
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