Loss-framed Messages Research Articles

Message framing's role in encouraging idle item recycling

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of framing idle item recycling appeals as gains or losses on influencing consumers' idle item recycling intention by assessing the mediating role of perceived impact and the moderating role of product attachment.Design/methodology/approachIn total, three experiments were conducted to gather data. The assumed hypotheses were verified using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and bootstrap analysis.FindingsStudy 1 illustrated that loss-framed messages are more persuasive than gain-framed messages for less-involved consumers in idle item recycling, whereas message framing shows no significant difference in more-involved consumers' intention. Study 2 suggested that perceived impact tends to increase less-involved consumers' recycling intention when the message is framed as loss. Study 3 demonstrated that less-involved consumers would react to idle item recycling messages when they are strongly attached to a product. Further, gain-framed messages are more efficacious than loss-framed messages in influencing more-involved consumers' recycling intention when they are strongly attached to a product.Originality/valuePrevious research focuses on promoting waste recycling behavior initiated by local, city or national governments. This study provides some of the first evidence on the influence mechanism of message framing on consumers' idle item recycling intention and offers insights into companies to develop effective advertising strategies for idle item recycling management.

How Framed Messages Influence Depression Assessment Intentions: Interactivity of Social Media as a Moderator.

This study examines how the framing and interactivity of messages influence the intentions of individuals to take a depression assessment. An experiment with a 2 (message framing: gain-versus loss-) × 2 (interactivity: low versus high) between-subject design was conducted among 269 Chinese participants (M = 30.70, SD = 7.34). The results showed that those reading loss-framed messages had a higher intention to take a depression assessment compared to those reading gain-framed messages. Secondly, those reading messages delivered with high interactivity had a higher intention to take a depression assessment than those reading messages delivered with low interactivity. Further, the interaction effect of framed messages and their varying degrees of interactivity was found to influence the intentions of individuals to take a depression assessment as well. Specifically, participants who read the loss-framed message reported stronger intention in the high interactivity group. In contrast, there was no significant difference between the effectiveness of loss-framed and gain-framed messages in promoting the intention to take a depression assessment in the low interactivity condition.

The Interplay between Message Framing and Message Recipients’ Regulatory Focus in Promoting HPV Prevention Strategies

ABSTRACT Limited awareness and low uptake rate of Human papillomavirus (HPV) prevention strategies among females require the development of more effective educational interventions. Regulatory focus theory posits the matching of framing valence with the recipients’ regulatory focus increases persuasiveness. Following regulatory focus theory, we examined how individual regulatory focus changed the effects of gain- and loss-framed messages on promoting consistent condom use and HPV DNA testing for HPV prevention. We also explored whether this interaction effect impacts the influences of target individuals’ initial attitudes about condom use and HPV DNA testing on post attitudes and intentions. Results of Study 1 showed that, in general, the gain-framed message fit with regulatory focus (i.e., promotion focus) promoted more positive attitudes about consistent condom use than the gain-framed message nonfit with their regulatory focus (i.e., prevention focus). Nevertheless, the gain-framed message nonfit with regulatory focus (i.e., prevention focus) strengthened the negative relationship between initial attitudes and intentions, which promoted the intentions to use condom consistently among people who initially held negative attitudes toward consistent condom use. In Study 2, we did not observe a significant interaction effect of message framing and regulatory focus in the HPV DNA testing context. However, we observed that the gain-framed message nonfit with regulatory focus (i.e., prevention focus) led to the changes in the significance of the initial attitudes – post attitudes relationship from significant to non-significant. Thus, the reliance on initial negative attitudes about HPV DNA testing in decision-making decreased. Theoretical and practical implications of our research were discussed.

Framing Messages to Deal With the COVID-19 Crisis: The Role of Loss/Gain Frames and Content.

The goal of this study was to test the role of message framing for effective communication of self-care behaviors in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, contrasting health and economic-focused messages. We presented 319 participants with an unforced choice task where they had to select the message that they believed was more effective to increase intentions toward self-care behaviors, motivate self-care behaviors in others, increase perceived risk and enhance perceived message strength. Results showed that gain-frame health messages increased intention to adopt self-care behaviors and were judged to be stronger. Loss-framed health messages increased risk perception. When judging effectiveness for others, participants believed other people would be more sensitive to messages with an economic focus. These results can be used by governments to guide communication for the prevention of COVID-19 contagion in the media and social networks, where time and space for communicating information are limited.

The Effectiveness of Gain and Loss Frames in News Subscription Appeals

Subscriptions are an increasingly vital part of newsrooms’ business models as the industry experiences sharp declines in advertising revenue. To date, research has not examined how digital subscription appeals affect news subscription intentions. The current study investigates the effectiveness of gain- and loss-framed messages on clicking on subscription appeals, connecting literature on prospect theory and investigations into why people use news. In collaboration with three U.S. newsrooms, we conducted 11 experiments with 222,385 users, varying whether the message included a gain-framed appeal, a loss-framed appeal, or just stated the cost of the subscription. Across the 11 tests, we also varied the call to action (subscription to newsrooms’ newsletter or paid access) and the medium used to distribute the subscription appeal (Facebook Sponsored Posts or direct email). In several tests, loss-framed messages yielded fewer clicks on subscription appeals compared to gain and control messages. Frame performance was moderated by the medium used, with greater effects for email than Facebook. We discuss theoretical and practical implications for how prospect theory can inform our understanding of why people pay for news.

Message framing strategies, food waste prevention, and diners’ repatronage intentions: the mediating role of corporate social responsibility

Building on prospect theory, construal level theory, and corporate social responsibility literature, this study investigated how messaging framing strategies impact buffet diners’ food waste and repatronage intentions using three experimental studies. Findings suggested that framing strategies (gain vs. loss) and point of reference (self vs. others vs. environment) interactively influence diners’ behavioral intentions through corporate social responsibility (CSR). In particular, a gain-framing strategy with self or other-referencing points could enhance perceived CSR and repatronage intentions. However, when the referencing point changes to environment, gain-framed and loss-framed messages result in similar levels of perceived CSR, food waste reduction intentions, and repatronage intentions. Evidence also suggests that the “out of sight, out of mind” phenomenon could occur when it comes to food waste prevention. This study contributes to the literature by delineating the mediation mechanism of perceived CSR between message framing and diners’ behavioral intentions. It also shed light on restaurants’ food waste management, with implications for designing effective communication messages to enhance diners’ engagement in food waste prevention.

Effects of Gain- and Loss-Framed Messages on Preventive Nutrition Behaviors of Osteoporosis in Iranian Female Students: A Text Messaging Intervention

Background:Adopting a healthy life style in children may protect them against osteoporosis in later life. This study was done to determine the effectiveness of gain-framed versus loss-framed using mobile phones short-messages service (SMS) intervention in promoting knowledge, attitude and preventive nutrition behaviors of osteoporosis among a sample of Iranian female students. Materials and Methods:In this quasi-experimental study, 345 female students in Semnan, Iran were randomly selected and assigned to either intervention group 1 (receiving gain-framed text messages, n=115), intervention group 2 (receiving loss-framed text messages, n=115), and control group (no receiving text messages, n=115). Knowledge, attitude and dietary behaviors related to osteoporosis prevention were collected by a researcher-made questionnaire before and one month after the delivery of the framed information via SMS. Seventy two short messages that emphasized the benefits of adopting the behavior (n=35), and the costs of non adopting it (n=35) have been sent to the participants’ phones in intervention group 1 and 2, respectively during the 35-day intervention period. Results: The age of participants in the three groups was 12 years. They were studying in the seventh grade. After the intervention, the mean scores of knowledge (2.32±0.60, p <0.001), attitude (1.52±0.60, p=0.03), and adopting the preventive nutrition behaviors of osteoporosis (1.30±0.58, p=0.05) variables in the intervention group 1 had a significant increase compared to the intervention group 2. Conclusion: The results of the study showed that gain-framed text messages significantly improved adopting osteoporosis preventive nutrition behaviors than loss framed text messages.

Tale of Two Frames

Background. Physical activity has been shown to decrease the risk of a variety of diseases. However, recent studies indicate that only 15% of Canadian adults engage in adequate levels of physical activity. As such, an area of interest for physical activity promotion has been the use of persuasive messages, specifically, the use of framing effects as a method of persuasive communication. This study uses the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to investigate the effects of framed health messages on autonomous motivation.&#x0D; Methods. 107 York University undergraduate students (N=107; 51 females, 56 males) ages 18 – 30 were recruited from the school of Kinesiology and Health Sciences. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three message groups: gain-framed, loss-framed and control. They were given and instructed to read the messages. Afterwards, the participants’ autonomous motivation levels were measured.&#x0D; Results. 68.2% of the participants were considered physically active. No significant difference in autonomous regulation levels were observed between the three frame groups. However, a significant interaction was shown between participants’ gender and frame condition; among the female participants, levels of autonomous regulation were significantly higher in the loss frame group, when compared to the control group.&#x0D; Conclusion. Based on the results of this study, women who were exposed to loss-framed messages tended to demonstrate higher levels of autonomy. Similar framing effects were not evident in males.

Backfire effect of salient information on vaccine take-up experimental evidence from scared-straight intervention in rural northern Nigeria

ABSTRACT Vaccination is the most cost-effective way to prevent mothers and infants from contracting tetanus. However, developing countries struggle with the persistent low take-up of vaccination. The low risk perceptions of disease can be one of the barriers to vaccination. One way to increase the risk perceptions of disease is to use salient loss-framed messages to highlight negative consequences of not getting vaccinated. We conducted a randomized controlled trial among 1,660 women in 80 villages in northeastern Nigeria. Respondents were randomly assigned to view one of two flipcharts: (1) control flipcharts, which contained written explanation about the severity of the disease, or (2) `scared-straight’ flipcharts that contain the salient information about the disease severity in addition to the written explanation about the severity of the disease. Additionally, respondents were provided randomly assigned amounts of cash incentives. The scared-straight intervention backfired among women with no previous experience of tetanus vaccination: it decreased their vaccine take-up by 3.7–6.1 percentage points, even though it increased their perceived risk of disease and their fear level. The negative effect of the scared-straight intervention is the most prevalent among women who received the lowest amount of cash incentive. Women without experience of tetanus vaccination might have responded to the scared-straight flipcharts by denying the information provided because the flipcharts were too frightening. The use of the scared-straight tactic is not recommended to aim for the improved take-up of vaccination in developing countries where people might face budget constraints for achieving desirable behaviors. Trial Registration: The trial was registered at ISRCTN registry (ID: ISRCTN95083356).

A study on the influence of the facial expressions of models on consumer purchase intention in advertisements for poverty alleviation products

Products (such as agricultural products and handicrafts) that are assisted by enterprises in their production or sales and whose sales revenues are dedicated to anti-poverty campaigns in a particular area are regarded as poverty alleviation products (PAPs). This study focuses on PAP advertisements and analyses the interaction between the expression of different emotions (positive expression/negative expression) by models in PAP advertisements and the types of products (general products/PAPs). This study also examines the expression framework of these advertisements (gain-framed/loss-framed) and consumer purchase intentions. The results of Study 1 indicate that consumers demonstrate a preference for PAPs and that negative expressions significantly improve consumers' purchase preference for PAPs. Study 2 demonstrates that this effect results from the completely mediating effect of consumer guilt. However, in Study 3, when an advertisement employs a combination of a “loss-framed message and negative facial expression”, it fails to further improve consumer purchase intention compared to other groups. The conclusions of this examination not only support the enterprises that positively participate in industrial poverty alleviation but also provide theoretical guidance to enterprises in the design of PAP advertisements.

Testing the Effectiveness of Message Framing and Episodic Future Thinking in Promoting HPV Vaccination via Anticipated Regret

ABSTRACT One of the greatest challenges in health communication is to persuade people to enact behavior whose consequences lie in the distant future. Could the persuasiveness of a health message be increased by highlighting future regret that one may experience? Using a 2 (framing: gain vs. loss) x 3 (temporal thinking: future-thinking vs. past-thinking vs. no-thinking) factorial design, this study tested the relative effectiveness of message framing and temporal thinking before exposure to a message promoting HPV vaccination. Results showed that having an opportunity to think about one’s future and reading loss-framed message were both effective in producing stronger anticipated regret of not taking HPV vaccination. Anticipated regret, in turn, led to more favorable attitudes and greater intentions to take HPV vaccination. Interaction effects were observed such that gain-framed message combined with future-thinking produced the most favorable attitudes toward HPV vaccination. Potential explanations for these findings are offered, and their implications are discussed.

Effects of message framing and evidence type on health information behavior: the case of promoting HPV vaccination

PurposeBased on the examination of the roles of message framing and evidence type, this study made an analysis of the promotion methods of intention and information need towards HPV vaccination.Design/methodology/approachThe study conducted a 2 (gain-framed messages vs loss-framed messages) × 2 (statistical evidence vs narrative evidence) quasi-experimental design built upon theories of message framing and evidence type. This experiment recruited college students who were not vaccinated against HPV as participants. The analysis of variance (ANOVA), the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), and the independent sample T-test were used to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe results (N = 300) indicate that (1) Loss-framed messages will lead to a more favorable intention towards HPV vaccination than gain-framed messages. (2) Statistical evidence will lead to a more explicit information need than narrative evidence. (3) Message framing and evidence type will interact and (a) for statistical evidence, loss-framed messages will lead to a more favorable intention towards HPV vaccination than gain-framed messages and (b) for narrative evidence, gain-framed messages will lead to a more favorable intention towards HPV vaccination than loss-framed messages. (4) Message framing and evidence type will interact and (a) for loss-framed messages, statistical evidence will stimulate more explicit information need of HPV vaccination than narrative evidence and (b) for gain-framed messages, narrative evidence will stimulate more explicit information need of HPV vaccination than statistical evidence.Originality/valueThis paper can help to further understand the important roles of message framing and evidence type in health behavior promotion. The study contributes to the literature on how health information can be well organized to serve the public health communication and further enhance the health information service.

Getting to the Heart of the Matter in Later Life: The Central Role of Affect in Health Message Framing.

Adopting healthy behaviors is often influenced by message framing; gain-framed messages emphasize the benefits of engaging in a behavior, whereas loss-framed messages highlight the consequences of not engaging in a behavior. Research has begun to uncover the underlying affective pathways involved in message framing. In the current study, we examined the role of affect in message framing to encourage exercise program enrollment among older adults. We mailed flyers to 126 volunteers assigned to a gain- or loss-framed condition and measured their affective reactions to the flyer and enrollment intentions. After the call, participants had the opportunity to contact us to enroll. Gain versus loss framing led to more positive affect toward the flyer, which predicted intentions and enrollment effort. In indirect effect analyses, frame indirectly influenced intentions and enrollment effort via positive affect. Although message framing plays an indirect role in influencing behavior, affect plays a central role.

Framing Effects on Online Security Behavior.

We conducted an incentivized lab experiment examining the effect of gain vs. loss-framed warning messages on online security behavior. We measured the probability of suffering a cyberattack during the experiment as the result of five specific security behaviors: choosing a safe connection, providing minimum information during the sign-up process, choosing a strong password, choosing a trusted vendor, and logging-out. A loss-framed message led to more secure behavior during the experiment. The experiment also measured the effect of trusting beliefs and cybersecurity knowledge. Trusting beliefs had a negative effect on security behavior, while cybersecurity knowledge had a positive effect.

Interactive effects of message framing and information content on carbon offsetting behaviors.

This study examines the effects of message framing and information presentation on tourists' carbon offsetting behaviors within the theoretical framework of heuristic-systematic processing. The interactive effects of message framing and information presentation are assessed on both static and dynamic outcome variables employing a mixed between-within group methodology utilizing two sets of data through a longitudinal 2 × 2 × 2 experimental design. The results reveal that a gain-framed messaging combined with objective climate change information and objective carbon offsetting information results in significantly more positive impacts on changes in purchase intention of carbon offsetting products and increases willingness to pay for carbon offsetting. Conversely, the combination of loss-framed messages and subjective information presentation are shown not only to be ineffective in increasing carbon offsetting behavior but results in declines in tourists’ purchase intention of carbon offsetting products and willingness to pay for carbon offsetting.

An application of deviance regulation theory to organ donation promotion

ABSTRACT Deviance regulation theory proposes that when a behavior is seen as common, a loss-frame message should be more effective; conversely, when a behavior is seen as uncommon, a gain-frame message should be more effective. The current study tests deviance regulation theory in the context of organ donation promotion. Non-donors (N = 386) were randomly assigned to view messages in a 2 (norm: high vs. low) x 2 (frame: gain vs. loss) factorial design. Dependent variables included behavioral intention and information seeking. Results were inconsistent with deviance regulation theory’s proposed interaction between norm and message frame. Rather, there was a main effect such that participants who read a low norm message engaged in greater information seeking than those who read a high norm message. Notably, the high norm message was seen as less believable than the low norm message. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Implementation of tobacco cessation services at a comprehensive cancer center: a qualitative study of oncology providers' perceptions and practices.

To explore (1) perceptions of tobacco cessation for patients, (2) perceived role in addressing patients' tobacco use, (3) facilitators and barriers to providing cessation services, and (4) perceptions and use of tobacco cessation resources among oncology providers. Interviews were conducted with 24 oncology providers at a National Cancer Institute-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. Qualitative themes were analyzed using content analysis. Participants (1) perceived smoking cessation's priority as low and/or dependent upon clinical factors, (2) described a passive role in addressing tobacco cessation, (3) described loss-framed versus gain-framed messaging when delivering cessation advice, (4) reported moderate self-efficacy in discussing and low self-efficacy in implementing cessation strategies, (5) described multi-level facilitators and barriers to patients' tobacco cessation, and (6) expressed high value for the cancer center's tobacco cessation service. Oncology providers in this study perceived patients' tobacco cessation as a low priority relative to providing direct cancer treatment and addressing acute complications. These findings indicate opportunities for training to increase delivery of evidence-based cessation advice and facilitate patients' engagement in cessation services. Provider trainings on embracing an active role in tobacco cessation, addressing multi-level barriers to patients' tobacco cessation, and using gain-framed messaging should be implemented. This has the potential to improve cancer patients' treatment outcomes.

Combined Framing Effects of Emotion and Visual Exemplar on Attitudes and Behavioral Intentions Toward Carbon Pricing

Carbon pricing is believed to be one of the most effective ways to curb carbon emissions. However, societal acceptance of carbon pricing has been lukewarm, as it imposes fees on consumers. This study investigated the role of combining emotional responses in gain/loss framing with visual imagery in generating a desired attitude and behavioral intention toward carbon pricing. The study tested the effects of message framing in a 2x2 (emotion: hope vs. fear; visual: present vs. absent) between-subjects experiment and showed that fear arousal in the loss-framed message was more persuasive than hope arousal in the gain-framed message. The mediation role of message evaluative processing on fear response was significant. This research offers important theoretical contributions by examining the role of emotions and visual imagery in carbon pricing persuasion. It also poses helpful message framing guidance for public policy decision-making on communicating carbon pricing.

Persuasion-Induced Physiology as Predictor of Persuasion Effectiveness

Physiological responses to persuasion can help to increase our understanding of persuasive processes, and thereby the effectiveness of persuasive interventions. However, a clear relationship between psychophysiology and persuasion is not yet established. This article investigates if peripheral physiology predicts persuasion effectiveness, and whether peripheral physiology yields information that is not represented in other predictors of persuasion. We studied physiological reactions in the cardiovascular, electrodermal, facial muscle and respiratory systems of 75 participants while they read gain- or loss-framed persuasive messages advocating increased oral health care behavior. Persuasion effectiveness was measured as pre to post intervention changes in self-reported attitudes and intentions, as well as through changes in behavioral compliance over three weeks. Overall, participants showed stronger attitudes and intentions directly after the intervention (short-term persuasion), but did not show changes in behavior or attitudes two weeks later (no long-term persuasion). On an individual level, physiological reactivity parameters yielded additional information – next to self-report measures – to predict persuasion effectiveness on attitude, intention and behavioral compliance. To conclude, our findings suggested a positive relationship between physiological reactivity to persuasive messages and subsequent attitudes, intentions and behavior, and quantified the extra personalization that psychophysiological measures might bring to persuasive messaging.

How to ask for donations: a language perspective on online fundraising success

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of message framing and language use on intentions to donate in online fundraising campaigns. A 2 (Message framing: Gain-framed vs. Loss-framed) by 2 (Language use: Inclusive vs. Exclusive language) randomized between-subjects factorial design was used to collect data. A total of 516 participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions (i.e., inclusive gain-framed, exclusive gain-framed, inclusive loss-framed, exclusive loss-framed), and asked to read an online fundraising campaign call for making donations. Overall, the results suggest that online fundraisers can benefit more from exclusive language if the messages are framed with possible gains for donating. Yet, if practitioners prefer to use loss-framed messages in a fundraising campaign, inclusive language would be more effective than exclusive language.