Danish data collection for a large multi-country study hosted at Yale University: Global moral messaging to change the public's behavioral intentions during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID19 pandemic is challenging communities across the globe. There are long prospects that actual vaccines or antiviral drugs are fully developed to stop the pandemic. Meanwhile, research shows that our best solution is to change people's behavior in everyday life to prevent further spread of disease. It's about good hand hygiene, keeping your distance from others and canceling social events with friends and family. The question is, how do you most effectively persuade people to make this kind of radical change in their daily lives? This is a social science question that is basically about what types of moral arguments one should use to secure behavior change. Should one speak to arguments about general utility or duties as a citizen? In this project, the question is investigated among Danes in a number of survey experiments. The project is part of a large transnational research project that covers 10 countries with research teams from most parts of the world and is led by Yale University. Thus, the project provides knowledge about effective arguments for changing citizens' behavior under COVID19, which, like the disease, goes across national borders. Knowledge from the project can help governments and authorities target and optimize the impact of behavioral campaigns aimed at citizens.