The Messenger and the Message: Explaining Compliance Among the Mass Public During the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Funded by British Academy
- Total publications:0 publications
Grant number: COV19\201414
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Key facts
Disease
COVID-19Known Financial Commitments (USD)
$12,386.05Funder
British AcademyPrincipal Investigator
Professor Sara HoboltResearch Location
United KingdomLead Research Institution
London School of Economics and Political Science, Department of GovernmentResearch Priority Alignment
N/A
Research Category
Research to inform ethical issues
Research Subcategory
Research to inform ethical issues related to Public Health Measures
Special Interest Tags
N/A
Study Type
Non-Clinical
Clinical Trial Details
N/A
Broad Policy Alignment
Pending
Age Group
Unspecified
Vulnerable Population
Unspecified
Occupations of Interest
Unspecified
Abstract
The project aims to explain the British public's compliance with and approval of government policies aimed at reducing and managing infections from the COVID-19 virus. Building on insights from behavioural and political sciences, this project examines the efficacy of messages from politicians and experts aimed at engendering compliance among the mass public. While scientists have collected survey and behavioural data on compliance, we know less about the factors that activate and sustain compliant behaviours and the role that public authorities play in shaping them. Employing nationally representative survey-experiments, we test the effect of elite cues on compliance and approval via appeals to individual and collective health risks. Moreover, we examine whether some individuals are more likely to respond to such messages than others. The project will contribute to our understanding of the public's willingness to make sustained sacrifices and the role of political and public health messages in shaping it.