To governments & scientists: Positive framing makes the difference

Vaccination supporters as allies may contribute enormously

 

 

 

 

Vaccination supporters (according to the EU-barometer 2019: 52% in the EU, 54% in Germany, 32% in Austria) may as allies influence enormously whether people go to get vaccinated or not. They are – due to a newly published French study – willing and capable to convince skeptics (33% in the EU, 33% in Germany, 42% in Austria) about the usefulness of a vaccination. There is one condition, though: facts about vaccination have to have a positive framing (ie: „90% of medical scientists agree that vaccines are safe“). The very same facts with a negative framing would not work at all (ie “10% of medical scientists do not agree that vaccines are safe”). These results are highly interesting since the belief that negative information is being transmitted more easily than positive one was carried until now. So the authors of the study recommend to governments and scientists alike to focus in their communication on vaccination supports as a target group while using positive framing.

Altay/Mercier, Framing Messages for Vaccination Supporters, in: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 26(4), 567-587, 2020.

 

 

From the practice:

Two aspects of this study I have observed for years. So let me confirm these communicative challenges particularly:

1. Where majorities are needed, it is much more efficient to gain supporters as

allies or multiplicators than to set forth on adversaries and try to persuade them.

2. Positive framing does have an impact if someone has to change. That means

for your communication: a) put in front facts with unequivocally high

percentages, b) emphasize benefits and advantages first and foremost,

1. c) make unmistakeably clear what you do want or what you want someone to do. So-called negative goals – by saying how it should not be – does not help.