How effective is framing public service announcements using identity-based messaging in increasing the likelihood of compliance with COVID-19 guidelines?
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN22331899 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN22331899 |
| Secondary identifying numbers | 2004499544 |
- Submission date
- 06/04/2021
- Registration date
- 07/04/2021
- Last edited
- 13/01/2022
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Infections and Infestations
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
The purpose of this study is to understand how people respond to COVID-19 public service announcements (PSA) advocating wearing a mask and staying at home. The study will test whether adding a short phrase that links compliance as being consistent with the subject's identity as a Christian or someone motivated by the economy will increase the likelihood of complying with the guidance.
Who can participate?
Amazon Mechanical Turk members holding an Amazon Masters classification
What does the study involve?
The study will be conducted over the internet using the Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) crowdsourcing marketplace. The study will first collect demographic information, then ask about the extent to which participants identify with the economy and as a Christian, and the extent to which they trust three PSA sources: the US Public Health Service (PHS), the Senate Chaplain, and the US Chamber of Commerce (CoC). Then, participants will be shown two PSA about COVID-19 and ask will be asked to provide their likelihood of complying with the public health guidelines provided by each PSA. One PSA will be a control PSA from the PHS and the other will be framed with a Christian identity from the Senate Chaplain, or framed with the economy identity from the CoC (this will be aligned with the participant answers from the first part of the study to match if the subject trusts the source and holds the identity). Participation in the study will take 5-8 min.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
There are no benefits to participants anticipated, however, participants will be paid 50 cents for participating. It is hoped that the study will provide information that will help scientists in the future.
There are no risks to participants anticipated, however, some participants may feel uncomfortable reading about COVID-19 or answering questions about it.
Where is the study run from?
Indiana University Bloomington (USA)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
From July 2020 to August 2020
Who is funding the study?
Indiana University Bloomington (USA)
Who is the main contact?
Prof Alan Dennis, ardennis@iu.edu
Contact information
Scientific
Indiana University
Bloomington
47405
United States of America
 ORCID ID |
0000-0002-6439-6134 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +1 812-855-2691 |
| ardennis@indiana.edu |
Public
Indiana University
Bloomington
47405
United States of America
| Phone | +1 812-855-2691 |
|---|---|
| ardennis@indiana.edu |
Study information
| Study design | Within- and between-subjects controlled randomized cross-sectional online study |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Interventional |
| Secondary study design | Randomised cross over trial |
| Study setting(s) | Internet/virtual |
| Study type | Prevention |
| Participant information sheet | ISRCTN22331899_PIS_01Apr2020.pdf |
| Scientific title | Assessment of the effectiveness of identity-based public health announcements in increasing the likelihood of complying with COVID-19 guidelines |
| Study objectives | Does framing a PSA using a Christian social identity or an economically-motivated personal identity increase the likelihood of compliance with COVID-19 guidelines by individuals who hold those identities? |
| Ethics approval(s) | Approved as exempt 29/04/2020, Indiana University Institutional Review Board (Human Research Protection Program, Office of Research Compliance, Indiana University, 2218 N. Dunn St., Bloomington, Indiana 47408; +1 (812) 856-4242; irb@iu.edu), ref: 2004499544 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Non-compliance with public service announcements regarding COVID-19 prevention |
| Intervention | The study will be conducted over the internet using the Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) crowdsourcing marketplace. The study will first collect demographic information, then ask about the extent to which participants identify with the economy and as a Christian, and the extent to which they trust three PSA sources: the US Public Health Service (PHS), the Senate Chaplain, and the US Chamber of Commerce (CoC). Participants will receive two COVID-19 public service announcements (PSAs), one advocating wearing a mask and one calling on people to stay at home, in random order. The treatment order and assignment of which PSA was the control and which was the treatment will be randomized in Qualtrics. One PSA was a control PSA with information purportedly from the US Public Health Service and the other was an identity-framed PSA (either Christian-framed or economics-framed). After reading each PSA, participants reported to what extent they would engage in the advocated behavior. Participation in the study will take 5-8 min. |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure | Likelihood of complying with Public Service Announcement measured using seven items adapted from prior research delivered via the online platform immediately after viewing the PSA |
| Secondary outcome measures | There are no secondary outcome measures |
| Overall study start date | 01/07/2020 |
| Completion date | 01/08/2020 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Healthy volunteer |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | 300 |
| Total final enrolment | 300 |
| Key inclusion criteria | Amazon Mechanical Turk member holding an Amazon Masters classification |
| Key exclusion criteria | Fail ≥1 of the three online attention checks (that asked participants to select specific answers) |
| Date of first enrolment | 01/07/2020 |
| Date of final enrolment | 01/08/2020 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- United States of America
Study participating centre
Bloomington
47405
United States of America
Sponsor information
University/education
1309 E 10th
Bloomington
47405
United States of America
| Phone | +1 8128552691 |
|---|---|
| ardennis@indiana.edu | |
| Website | https://iu.edu |
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/02k40bc56 |
Funders
Funder type
University/education
Government organisation / Universities (academic only)
- Alternative name(s)
- IU Bloomington, Indianensis Universitas, State Seminary, Indiana College, Indiana University, IU
- Location
- United States of America
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 01/07/2021 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Available on request |
| Publication and dissemination plan | Planned publication in a peer-reviewed journal |
| IPD sharing plan | The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are/will be available upon request from Prof. Alan Dennis (ardennis@indiana.edu). The data will be available from 1/1/2021 for five years in Excel format for any researcher who requests a copy. All data are anonymous. All participants consented to participate. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Participant information sheet | 01/04/2020 | 04/05/2021 | No | Yes | |
| Results article | 13/04/2021 | 13/01/2022 | Yes | No |
Additional files
- ISRCTN22331899_PIS_01Apr2020.pdf
- uploaded 04/05/2021
Editorial Notes
13/01/2022: Publication reference added.
04/05/2021: The participant information sheet was uploaded as an additional file.
07/04/2021: Trial’s existence confirmed by Indiana University Institutional Review Board.
