The Effect of Anticipated Regret on Flu Vaccination Campaigns

The anticipation of regret is known to be a primary motivator of receiving a vaccination. Aim of this study is to evaluate whether the use of messages that leverage the anticipated emotion of regret can increase the intention to get the flu vaccination. The participants (N = 110) randomly received a leaflet containing a standard prevention message (control condition) or message modified to induce the anticipation of regret over not being vaccinated (experimental condition), along with a questionnaire. The experimental condition's participants reported significantly higher levels of regret and higher intention to vaccinate than the participants in the control condition. Anticipated regret resulted to be a significant mediator of the intention to get vaccinated. Manipulating the salience of regret appears to be a simple and inexpensive way of effectively promoting preventive behaviour. The implications of this result for reducing COVID-19 vaccine hesitation are discussed. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Europe's Journal of Psychology is the property of Leibniz Institute for Psychology (ZPID) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

The COVID-19 prevention campaign in Mexico: content analysis based on behavioral economics

During the Covid-19 pandemic, in order to reduce infections and consequences, various public policies are implemented, including messages to develop desirable prevention behaviors. Behavioral economics theory points out the importance of considering people's cognitive biases that distance them from rational decisions and have a negative impact on the implementation of suitable behaviors. The present research work carried out a qualitative content analysis in messages to combat the spread of the COVID-19 disease, which the Government of Mexico transmitted through the internet. Infographics and official videos were analyzed to identify if the contributions of behavioral economics were considered. The analysis made it possible to identify the biases that were most present and the behavioral tools that sought to mitigate them, but still in a limited way. The benefits of considering this theoretical approach when designing and evaluating these messages are recognized.