Nudging epidemic policy compliance

Experimental insights into message framing

Bibliographic Data

ID22071568
AuthorsBiao Xu (0000-0001-8695-7396, Government of Jiangsu Province), Patiman Yidilisi (Government of Jiangsu Province, corresponding author), Hailing Xi, Hu-Tao Xi (Government of Jiangsu Province), Shuyan Gu (0000-0002-2362-1251, Government of Jiangsu Province)
Year2025
Volume13
Pages1587987-1587987
Publication date2025-07-23
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565
PublisherFrontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpubh.2025.1587987
PMID40771239
OpenAlexW4412583558
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited34

Objective: Achieving widespread voluntary public compliance is critical for effective epidemic management. This study investigates how different message-framing strategies influence individuals' willingness to comply with public health measures during a simulated epidemic scenario. Methods: = 391) were randomly assigned to one of these conditions or a no-framing control group. Compliance willingness was assessed through self-reported intentions to adhere to recommended preventive behaviors. Results: Framed messages significantly increased compliance intentions compared to the control condition. Among framing strategies, the loss-social frame (emphasizing negative societal consequences of noncompliance) demonstrated the strongest effect, followed by gain-private, gain-social, and loss-private frames. Pairwise comparisons revealed important interactions: gain-framing was more effective within private motivational contexts, whereas loss-framing was particularly compelling within social contexts. Critically, loss-social messages were significantly superior to loss-private ones, while gain-social and gain-private messages performed similarly. Conclusion: Strategic message framing effectively enhances public compliance during epidemic crises, with loss-social framing emerging as the most potent approach. These findings offer critical insights for policymakers and health communicators, recommending targeted use of loss-social messaging to optimize public adherence to epidemic prevention guidelines

Framing effect · Health communication · Political science · Public relations · Behavioral Health and Interventions · Medicine · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Psychology · Social Psychology · Vaccine Coverage and Hesitancy

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