Public Service Announcements Research Articles

The risks of unconcern: low sensitivity to threat can have unfortunate consequences

Each one of us is confronted with warnings of danger or threats to wellbeing in our everyday life, whether in the form of certain road signs, Public Service Announcements, ominous changes in bodily functioning, or cautionary tales heard from family or friends. There is great inter-individual variation in how people respond to such threats, with some people habitually tending to ignore or dismiss them, often to their peril. The first purpose of the present paper is to review several studies showing that individuals—most often men—who score very low on measures of trait anxiety are more likely to engage in behaviors that could jeopardize their physical wellbeing. The general hypothesis that is derived from that review is that when attention to everyday threats is chronically muted by way of a dispositional trait, the likelihood of proceeding down some dangerous path is increased. Those findings are then discussed within the broader context of personality theory to highlight the importance of recognizing the bipolarity of common traits. Here the case is made for replacing the term trait anxiety with the term threat sensitivity in order to capture the full breadth of this basic personality variable. A discussion of the neurobiological underpinnings of threat sensitivity is then presented with an emphasis on individual and sex differences in the workings of the defensive survival circuitry. Taken together, this paper has implications for two subfields within psychology. For the area of personality theory, this paper provides support for the adaptationist view with the argument that low threat sensitivity has both adaptive and maladaptive potential. For the area of health psychology, it is argued that some individuals who demonstrate a habitual tendency to neglect their physical wellbeing may be acting—at least in part—in accordance with their innate neurobiological constitution.

Meshwork Ecology: Climate and Colonialism in Diene's Hell Freezes Over and Ruga's Public Service Announcement

ABSTRACT: Within global academia, activism, and cultural production there has been a turn towards what I conceptualize as meshwork ecology . Here, the relationality and interdependency of all earthbound things are emphasized, as is the multiplicity of human and nonhuman ontologies and epistemologies existing on the planet. This paper demonstrates how reading for meshwork ecological elements can bring to light new features of ecocentric African speculative fiction. After unpacking my understanding of meshwork ecology, I read for certain meshwork ecological elements the novella "Hell Freezes Over" by Mame Bougouma Diene and the short film Public Service Announcement by Athipatra Ruga. I show how reading for meshwork ecological elements illuminates four central aspects of these texts: 1) the interrogation of colonial ways of inhabiting the earth, 2) the centering of interconnectedness and relationality with the nonhuman, 3) thinking with multiple temporalities, and 4) exploring assemblages that involve technology, humanity, and the nonhuman. I expound on how I understand these texts in conversation with meshwork ecological scholarship as examples of planetary resonances, in this case a shared engagement with the looming reality of climate change and the pressing need to rethink how humanity relates to the nonhuman world.

The Importance of Public Service Announcements (PSAs), on Digital Addiction in Creating Digital Parent Awareness

Yeni iletişim teknolojilerinin gelişmesiyle birlikte teknolojik aygıtlarla sarmalanmış bir dünyada yaşamaya başlamış bireyler olarak, kimi zaman teknolojinin sağladığı avantajlardan faydalanırken kimi zaman da birçok dezavantajla karşı karşıya kalmaktayız. Yeni medya olarak adlandırılan dijital alanda medyanın etki alanının da giderek artmasıyla, günlük hayatımızın büyük bir kısmını medya mesajlarına maruz kalarak geçirmekteyiz. Bu yeni dijital dönemde, özellikle çocuk ve gençlerin zararlı yayınlara, olumsuz içeriklere karşı daha fazla bilinçli hale getirilmesi konusu oldukça önemli hale gelmiştir. Medyayı ebeveyn ve çocuk arasında bir çatışma noktası olmaktan çıkarmak gerekmektedir. Bu noktada, çocuk ve medya düzleminde ebeveynler de önemli rol oynamaktadır. Artık, medyanın tutsağı olmadan dijitalde geçen zamanı etkin kullanmak, manipülasyonlara karşı bilinçli, sorgulayıcı, farklı kaynaklardan teyit eden bireyler olmak, internette üretici ve aktif olmak zorunlu hale gelmiştir. Bu bağlamda, dijital bağımlılığa farkındalık oluşturmak için birtakım çalışmalar yapılmaktadır. Bu çalışmalar arasında en etkin farkındalık süreci oluşturan kamu spotları, dijital bağımlılık üzerine yapılan kampanyalarda kullanılmaktadır. Özellikle dijital ebeveynlerin dikkatini çekmek ve harekete geçirmek için Yeşilay ve Siberay tarafından hazırlanan kamu spotları dijital bağımlılığa farkındalık oluşturmak için kurgulanmıştır. Çalışmanın amacı, dijital bağımlılığa dikkat çeken kamu spotlarını işlevsellik ve mesaj stratejileri bağlamında içerik analizi yöntemi ile inceleyerek kamu spotlarının dijital bağımlılık ve ebeveynlik ilişkisini ortaya koymaktır. Çalışmada yer alan kamu spotlarında dijital bağımlılığa dikkat çeken ve harekete geçiren unsurların ortaya konulduğu, kamu spotlarının bilgilendirici ve eğitici işlevlerinden yararlanıldığı ve mesaj stratejilerinin uzman yardımları ve slogan kullanımlarıyla oluşturulduğu görülmektedir.

THREAT CONSTRUCTION IN ENVIRONMENTAL DISCOURSE: HOW FEAR APPEALS ARE CONSTRUCTED IN THE NATURE IS SPEAKING VIDEOS

Fear appeals are a form of discourse that arouses emotional imbalance which triggers a desire to alleviate the ensuing uneasiness. Often, such appeals result in some forms of behavioural changes, at least temporarily. In public discourse, the behavioural changes are expected to be compliance towards the fear appeal advocations. Previous studies reveal that the effect of fear appeals is largely decided by threat-framing strategies (Furedi, 2006). This study examines how threat-framing strategies are constructed to produce fear appeals in public service announcement (PSA) videos. Data for our analysis comprise of 13 PSA videos from the Nature Is Speaking campaign that was launched in 2014. These videos use a unique narrative perspective, with Nature highlighting its superior power and its indispensability to humans. We adopt the Proximisation Theory (PT) proposed by Piotr Cap (2013) to identify instances of threat occurrences. According to PT, a threat occurs when an external agent or force, referred to as “the outside-deictic-centre” (ODC), is conceptualised as crossing the space to invade another central figure in the narrative, referred to in PT as “the inside-deictic-centre” (IDC). Our analysis reveals that through different choices of nouns and pronouns, Nature is constructed as the ODC that threatens humans, the IDC. The threat-framing strategies were often found to be amplified through analogies, assertions, rhetorical questions, and parallel structures. This study adds to our understanding of how fear appeal PSAs are constructed; future research needs to further examine the effectiveness of these PSAs through public surveys.

Campaign-Induced Interpersonal Communication: Concepts and Measurement

One way in which media campaigns produce effects is by stimulating talk about the campaigns among audience members. Scientific analysis of that talk requires a means of measuring it, something that is lacking in the current literature. To advance research on this topic, we developed a campaign-induced interpersonal communication (CIC) coding scheme. The scheme was applied to conversation data gathered from participant pairs who were exposed to health-related public service announcements (PSAs), then discussed each one. Results showed that the mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive set of codes could be applied reliably to conversation data. Evidence of construct validity was seen in data patterns that demonstrated dyadic movement toward intersubjectivity, responsiveness to task demands, and over time changes in features of the conversations, all of which are defining features of interpersonal communication. The CIC coding scheme provides a foundation for researchers interested in studying interpersonal processes associated with media campaigns.

Public Perception of the Tobacco 21 Amendment on Twitter in the United States: Observational Study.

Following the signing of the Tobacco 21 Amendment (T21) in December 2019 to raise the minimum legal age for the sale of tobacco products from 18 to 21 years in the United States, there is a need to monitor public responses and potential unintended consequences. Social media platforms, such as Twitter (subsequently rebranded as X), can provide rich data on public perceptions. This study contributes to the literature using Twitter data to assess the knowledge and beliefs of T21. Twitter data were collected from November 2019 to February 2021 using the Twitter streaming application programming interface with keywords related to vaping or e-cigarettes, such as "vape," "ecig," etc. The temporal trend of the T21 discussion on Twitter was examined using the mean number of daily T21-related tweets. Inductive methods were used to manually code the tweets into different sentiment groups (positive, neutral, and negative) based on the attitude expressed toward the policy by 3 coders with high interrater reliability. Topics discussed were examined within each sentiment group through theme analyses. Among the collected 3197 tweets, 2169 tweets were related to T21, of which 444 tweets (20.5%) showed a positive attitude, 736 (33.9%) showed a negative attitude, and 989 (45.6%) showed a neutral attitude. The temporal trend showed a clear peak in the number of tweets around January 2020, following the enactment of this legislation. For positive tweets, the most frequent topics were "avoidance of further regulation" (120/444, 27%), "Enforce T21" (110/444, 24.8%), and "health benefits" (81/444, 18.2%). For negative tweets, the most frequent topics were "general disagreement or frustration" (207/736, 28.1%) and "will still use tobacco" (188/736, 25.5%). Neutral tweets were primarily "public service announcements (PSA) or news posts" (782/989, 79.1%). Overall, we find that one-third of tweets displayed a negative attitude toward T21 during the study period. Many were frustrated with T21 and reported that underage consumers could still obtain products. Social media data provide a timely opportunity to monitor public perceptions and responses to regulatory actions. Continued monitoring can inform enforcement efforts and potential unintended consequences of T21.

Обучение русскому языку как иностранному на продвинутом этапе (на примере темы «Демография»)

The paper describes the specificity of teaching the topic “Demography” at the advanced stage of Russian as a foreign language learning. The research aims to identify ways to effectively organize lessons using a variety of teaching methods. The scientific novelty lies in the proposed methodological solutions for studying the topic “Demography” at the advanced stage. As a result of the research, a number of exercises of different types have been created. These include lexical exercises aimed at memorizing new words on the studied topic; text-based exercises that help students assimilate ready-made text models and speech patterns, actualize the studied vocabulary, and reach a new lexical level; exercises for working with the public service announcement “Our Peculiarities Is Our Heritage”. The methodological value of the exercises proposed lies in their ability to influence the students’ emotional intelligence with the goal of strengthening positive emotions from language learning, forming humanistic values, creating a positive image of Russia, and demonstrating how the social problem in question is objectified in the consciousness of modern Russian society. The proposed methodological solutions will help increase student motivation and effectively organize lessons.

Cognitive Distortions as Barriers to Seeking Smoking Cessation Treatment: A Comparative Study.

Background/Objectives: Despite the availability of effective pharmacotherapy and evidence-based treatments, a substantial proportion of smokers do not seek treatment. This study aims to explore the cognitive distortions associated with not seeking evidence-based smoking cessation treatment and to identify cognitive barriers. Methods: The research conducted in Istanbul between October and December 2017 employs a cross-sectional design and includes two groups: a treatment-seeking group comprising 156 patients diagnosed with tobacco use disorder and a non-treatment seeking group of 78 patients with tobacco use disorder who had never sought professional help for smoking cessation. A comprehensive data collection process was used, including sociodemographic information, cognitive distortion assessment using the cognitive distortions scale, a smoking-related cognitive distortions interview and the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence. Results: While no significant sociodemographic differences were observed between the treatment-seeking and non-treatment-seeking groups, the study found that higher nicotine dependence was associated with a higher likelihood of seeking treatment. The treatment-seeking group displayed significantly higher levels of "all-or-nothing thinking" cognitive distortions related to smoking and smoking cessation. Conversely, the non-treatment-seeking group exhibited elevated levels of cognitive distortions such as "labeling", "mental filtering", "should statements" and "minimizing the positive" regarding receiving smoking cessation treatment. Conclusions: Understanding the cognitive distortions associated with treatment-seeking behavior for tobacco use disorder is crucial for developing targeted public-based interventions, public service announcements for tobacco use prevention and encouraging individuals to seek evidence-based treatment. Addressing these cognitive distortions can also potentially enhance the effectiveness of smoking cessation programs and reduce the global burden of tobacco-related diseases and mortality.

Factors affecting Kuwait University students’ adoption of social media

Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore how social media is diffused among Kuwait University students in light of the diffusion of innovation theory (DOI). Method: A convenience sample of Kuwait University students (N=2000, males= 89 and females= 1171) who used social media tools was selected. A questionnaire was administered to measure frequencies of using Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram. In addition, 15 statements that explained reasons for using certain social media tools in terms of the five DOI factors, that is, compatibility, complexity, trialability, observability, and relative advantage were presented to the participants. Results: The results showed that new social media applications were more advantageous and easier to use than old social media networks. These new social media applications were also compatible with the user’s lifestyle, were typically available to try before adoption, and offered benefits to the user. The reasons for adoption varied by gender. For males, relative advantages superseded other reasons. Females, on the other hand, found observability to be the dominant factor. Conclusion: The study results might be utilized for brand or product promotion, publicity, or organizational objectives. The results of this study might assist in determining which subjects can be skillfully employed in political or social media news releases. The findings reveal how communication messages, public service announcements, news, and other targeted communications might be tailored to the desired audience.

Media Influence on Youth Health Awareness amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comprehensive Study on the Role of Public Service Announcements and TV News

This study investigates the role of Public Service Announcements (PSAs) and News on TV in creating COVID-19-related health awareness among Pakistani youth. Guided by the agenda-setting theory, the research explores how electronic media coverage adopted media, public, and policy agenda stages in disseminating health precautionary measures during the pandemic outbreak. An online survey was conducted using a questionnaire tool of 32 items with Cronbach's alpha value (α = 0.922). One sample t-test, correlation, and frequency distribution were applied to compare the mean values and to observe the relation between independent and dependent variables of the selected sample of youth (N=436), living in Lahore including both males and females under the age of 18 to 32 years old. Results have shown that government-led PSAs significantly improve youth awareness and knowledge about COVID-19, combating misinformation. Moreover, findings support youth reliance on PSAs and a positive response to vaccination against COVID-19.

Injuries from electronic cigarettes, and cigarette/cigar-related paraphernalia, NEISS, 2012-2022.

There is a need to determine the role of smoking/vaping related products in Emergency Department (ED) product-related injuries by age and sex to determine if interventions are warranted. These products include the combustible tobacco products' paraphernalia to light them (CTPP), electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), and electronic non-nicotine delivery system (ENNDS). Data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), years 2012-2022, were examined for injury data associated with CTPP and ENDS/ENNDS. Bivariate comparisons were conducted. There were an estimated 3,142 (95%CI: 2,384-3,975) ED-treated ENDS/ENNDS product-related injuries and 46,116 (95%CI: 38,712-53,520) CTPP product-related injuries. Males were more likely to have an ED-treated ENDS/ENNDS product-related injury than females (proportion 0.93 [95%CI: 0.82, 0.98] versus 0.70 [95%CI: 0.02, 0.19]) as well as a CTPP product-related injury than females (proportion, 0.60 [95%CI: 0.56, 0.64] versus 0.40 [95%CI: 0.37, 0.44]). There were more ED-treated ENDS/ENNDS product-related injuries among persons ≥18 years than <18 years (proportion, 0.89 [95%CI: 0.75, 0.96] versus 0.11 [95% CI: 0.4, 0.35]). There were also more ED-treated CTPP product injuries among persons ≥ 18 years than <18 years (proportion, 0.73 [95%CI: 0.68, 0.78] versus 0.27 [95%CI: 0.22, 0.32]). No change in the proportion of injuries in our sample associated with END/ENNDS over time were observed. There is a need to consider injuries related to ENDS/ENNDS and CTPP product-related injuries in the discussion of the risks associated with smoking/vaping. Although ENDS/ENNDS have had fewer ED-treated injuries, the number of such injuries has remained stable, rather than declined over the previous decade. Injury prevention is a public health imperative and targeted interventions by healthcare providers during routine care, and the use of public service announcements could specifically target adults ≥18 years. Providing peer-to-peer educational programs, and initiating similar programs targeted at males who use CTP and ENDS/ENNDS have the potential to decrease injury risk.

Increasing the Effectiveness of Public Service Announcements Among Gen Z by Using Influencer Advertising

In this study, we aim to explore the effectiveness of influencer advertising in the realm of public policy. More specifically, we will be examining key factors that can potentially increase psychological reactance among individuals belonging to Generation Z when they are processing anti-binge drinking Public Service Announcements. We then discuss how collaboration between federal agencies and social media influencers can overcome the hurdles posed by psychological reactance. By drawing upon the existing research on persuasive messages, psychological reactance, influencer advertising, and parasocial relationships, our findings will hold significant value for policymakers in disseminating impactful Public Service Announcements that resonate with Generation Z.

One Day When We Were Young: Nostalgia Brings Climate Change Temporally Closer

ABSTRACT The perceived temporal distance of climate change impacts has been considered a long-standing barrier to climate engagement. Because nostalgia has distinct cognitive properties related to temporal thinking, three experimental studies are conducted to investigate nostalgia's potential for shortening temporal distance. Study 1 shows that nostalgia increases climate engagement by reducing temporal distance. Study 2 further identifies vivid imagery as a mechanism for the nostalgia effects across US and Chinese samples. Study 3 shows that nostalgic public service announcements increase climate engagement more than non-nostalgic ones. This study provides strong evidence that evoking nostalgia can be a useful climate change communication strategy.

Semantic Analysis of Language used in Disaster Announcements and Signages in Davao City

This qualitative corpus-based study aimed to identify the elements in semantic as well as analyze the relationship between an entity and its neighboring non-entity text found in disaster announcements and signages in Davao City. The study utilized social media and public signages as means of collecting data wherein disaster announcements and signages related to flood, fire, and earthquake are being focused. To analyze the data, the researchers used two parts of the process of semantic analysis namely Lexical Semantic Analysis focusing on elements in semantic and Relationship Extraction centralizing on entities and relations. The results exhibit that in those announcements and signages six (6) elements in semantics were commonly found namely Homonyms, Hypernyms, Hyponyms, Polysemy, Synonymy, and Antonymy in which each conveys different lexical meanings that affects the meaning of a sentence. Furthermore, a category of relations was found in the extraction process of the entity and non-entity text which are Description, Causation, Mitigation, Preparedness, and Response. These categories helped explain how each relationship formed with an entity can provide different meaning and different context. All things considered, copywriters of public service announcements for disaster announcements and signages should take note of the word choice and their arrangement and linkage when writing so as to have a better communication and understanding with the citizens to avoid vulnerability with risks.

The Past And Present Of Moving Images:Transcending The Boundary Across Departments In The Vocational Higher Education

Animations were given credentials as an effective medium in various campaigns and public service announcements (PSA). It helps to shape and spread information, frame public attitudes, and ensure the roles and responsibilities. History records how animations were utilized as PSA during WW2 in the form of training content, instructions, propaganda and ideological tools to promote and glorify patriotism. In higher education, animations can be utilized to support the socialization material about quality assurance. An animated PSA in the form of a video explainer was produced as a collaboration between the Quality Assurance (QA) Department and the Animation Study Program of Politeknik Multimedia Nusantara to support project-based learning for semester 2 students. This article aims to link connections between the history of animation as a public service announcement (PSA) with the conduct of project-based learning in vocational institutions, and quality assurance socialization. Descriptions about the history of moving images, project-based learning strategies, and quality assurance socialization are implemented as methodologies to explain the interrelationships among the three. The authors then present a gap analysis regarding the problems in implementing project-based learning faced by the animation study program and the problems faced by the QA department. An action plan is produced to close the gap using existing resources. The result is a descriptive explanation to support the feasibility of how a vocational institution should connect the needs of academic departments and other departments through a collaborative process. In the discussion section, an analysis will be presented of how animation as a medium is capable of transcending the boundaries across departments Keywords: moving image history, animation, project-based learning, quality assurance in education

Lessons Learned From TranslateCovid, a Multilingual Online Resource Hub for Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities and Beyond.

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated health disparities among immigrant communities. Delivering accurate information and addressing misinformation on protective measures and vaccination to linguistically disadvantaged groups was critical for mitigating the effects of the pandemic. One group that was especially vulnerable to miscommunication about COVID-19 was non-native English-speaking immigrants. To address these disparities, the Asian American Studies Center and the Fielding School of Public Health at the University of California, Los Angeles, partnered to create a multilingual resource hub, TranslateCovid.org, to disseminate credible and reliable information about COVID-19 safety measures, the science behind the vaccines, and vaccine safety. We identified >1300 verified resources in 60 languages from government, academic, and nonprofit organizations and reposted them on the TranslateCovid website. We also developed public service announcement videos on handwashing, use of face masks, and social distancing in 10 languages and a fact sheet for frequently asked questions in 20 languages. We used a participatory approach to develop strategies for disseminating these resources. We discuss lessons learned, including strategies for forming government, community, and academic partnerships to support the timely development and dissemination of information. We conclude with a discussion on the unique role of universities in promoting equitable access to public health resources among immigrant communities in times of crisis.

THE ROLE OF MEDIA IN DISEASE PREVENTION IN UGANDA: A CASE STUDY OF NBS TELEVISION

Scholars have extensively studied the effectiveness of different health communication strategies employed by television networks in disseminating disease prevention information. These strategies include health campaigns, public service announcements, and educational programming aimed at raising awareness about infectious diseases and promoting preventive behaviors. Understanding how audiences perceive and engage with health messages broadcasted by the media is crucial for evaluating the impact of disease prevention efforts. This study sought to evaluate the role of media in disease prevention in Uganda using NBS Television as a case study. A cross-sectional survey design was utilized to collect data from a sample of viewers who have been exposed to televised health messages. The total sample size was 85 respondents. Data was collected through structured questionnaires administered to the selected study participants. Quantitative data collected from the surveys were analyzed using statistical software such as MS Excel. Descriptive statistics, including frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations, were used to summarize demographic characteristics, audience exposure to health programming, and responses to survey items. The study found that respondents had varying knowledge about disease prevention measures, with gaps in understanding vaccination schedules, early warning signs, and nutrition’s role. However, they generally held positive attitudes towards disease prevention, believing in its importance for overall health and trusting health information from television programs. They expressed motivation to adopt preventive behaviors and confidence in their ability to maintain positive changes. The findings underscore the potential of televised health communication initiatives in shaping attitudes and behaviors related to disease prevention, emphasizing the role of television in promoting public health awareness. Keywords: Disease, NBS Television, Media, Information

Campaign-Induced Interpersonal Communication: Identifying Turn Types and Exploring Their Interdependencies

ABSTRACT Media campaigns produce effects when audience members discuss the campaign messages. Fundamental to the understanding of how talk bridges exposure and effect is a knowledge of its content. However, prior attempts to measure talk content have largely been limited to gross characteristics of the interactions. We argue that advances in this line of research require representing post-exposure talk as campaign-induced interpersonal communication (CIC), with a focus on how individuals produce and exchange messages in conversations. Interaction data were gathered in two experiments in which pairs of participants co-viewed, then discussed health-related public service announcements. Analysis of the data produced (a) an empirically-derived typology of talk turns that provided a comprehensive, content-based description of message production and (b) evidence that turn pairs are associated in theoretically meaningful ways in exchanges that displayed properties of deliberative interactions. These findings lay a foundation for future research on the antecedents and outcomes of CIC.

Investigation of winter weather crash injury severity using winter storm classification techniques

This study employs a unique methodology for analyzing seasonal traffic crashes by first identifying adverse winter-weather events using traditional traffic-crash data (from Nebraska) and correlating them to detailed meteorological data for subsequent analyses. Specifically, the novel component of this analysis utilized a state-specific winter storm and seasonal severity index metric in conjunction with classifications of storm type. Both crash and meteorological data were combined to determine if the amount of snowfall and/or storm intensity/severity could be a predictor of the number and severity of crashes. Analysis was performed to identify weather conditions causing highway safety concerns. The important takeaway of the study was that most winter weather-related vehicular crashes in Nebraska were associated with relatively minor winter weather conditions. The reported crashes typically occurred with relatively low snowfall amounts due to residual snowfall on the ground, emphasizing the importance of continuing winter maintenance operations activities and public service announcements long after a storm has passed through the region. Modeling crash injury severity revealed that icy pavements, higher duration of snowfall, work zones, and higher number of trucks and buses involved in a crash were linked to higher injury severity; higher visibility was associated with a greater chance of crashes involving visible injuries but a lower likelihood of crashes involving disabling injury/fatality. Snowfall was associated with more visible injury crashes, whereas snow-depth was linked to fewer visible injury and disabling injury/fatality crashes. The study's limitations include the spatial and temporal aggregation of weather data and a lack of detailed winter roadway maintenance/clearance activity data.

The effectiveness of health warning labels and environmental warning labels in different contexts of advertisements and public service announcements

ABSTRACT Previous research has proposed the positive effects of warning health/safety labels. Nevertheless, their effectiveness compared to environmental warning labels (i.e., ecolabels), especially in limiting the harmful outcomes of health- and safety-related products, is still questioned. Two studies were conducted to investigate the effectiveness of different label messages in different context formats (contextually incongruent commercial advertisements (ads) vs. contextually congruent public service announcements (PSAs); Study 1, N = 332) and different context-induced moods (positive vs. negative; Study 2, N = 334). Findings indicated that PSAs were more effective than ads in influencing individuals’ attitudes toward labels and behavioral change intention. Furthermore, health warning labels are generally more effective than ecolabels. The interactions between label types and context formats, as well as label types and context-induced moods, were also explored and discussed. The current study contributed to the scarce literature on warning label comparison and advanced a comprehensive understanding of warning labels and ecolabels, as well as their effectiveness. Results provided important implications for practitioners and policymakers, particularly on how to effectively employ prevention- and/or promotion-oriented warning messages in their campaigns.