Social science & medicine
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Social science & medicine · Nov 2020
Randomized Controlled TrialMotivating social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic: An online experiment.
Maintaining social distance during the COVID-19 pandemic can save lives. We therefore set out to test communication strategies to promote social distancing. ⋯ Messages that invoke thoughts of infecting vulnerable people or large numbers of people can motivate social distancing and, hence, help to limit the spread of COVID-19. Stated public evaluations (obtained via focus groups or surveys) may underestimate the actual effectiveness of such emotional messages.