"If it weren't for COVID-19 ": Counterfactual arguments influence support for climate change policies via cross-domain moral licensing or moral consistency effects.

In two studies, we investigated whether counterfactual messages (i.e., "If… then…") on the economic costs of past public policies influence support for future climate change policies. In Study 1, we tested whether the effect of upward counterfactual messages depended on their referring (or not) to the COVID-19 pandemic. Results showed lower support for a future climate change policy when the past expenses evoked by the upward counterfactual messages were attributed to COVID-19. In Study 2, we combined upward counterfactuals with downward counterfactuals presenting past economic efforts to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic as a moral credit. Results showed that exposure to downward counterfactuals decreased support for climate change policies among participants with low endorsement of anti-COVID-19 measures, whereas it increased support among participants with high endorsement. Discussion focuses on the conditions under which counterfactual communication may activate cross-dimensional moral licensing or moral consistency effects, influencing support for climate change policies.

Going Green, but Staying in the Black: How Framing Impacts the Agreement With Messages on the Economic Consequences of Environmental Policies.

Past research suggests that although citizens are generally favorable to pro-environmental policies, their negative economic impact can be a relevant source of concern. In two studies, we investigated the agreement with messages highlighting the positive vs. negative economic impact of a pro-environmental policy (the creation of a protected natural reserve in a lakeside area), as a function of the framing of the policy itself in terms of local relevance (Study 1) and environmental impact (Study 2). In Study 1, participants (N = 514) were citizens of different Italian regions. Results showed that reference to the local (vs. global) relevance of the proposed policy increased the tendency to agree with loss-framed (vs. gain-framed) messages on the economic impact of the policy. In Study 2, participants (N = 500) were a sample of actual lakeside residents from the Garda Lake area in Italy. Results showed that reading messages promoting the policy through stressing the negative consequences of not implementing it (vs. the positive consequences of implementing it) increased the tendency to agree with a subsequent loss-framed (vs. gain-framed) message on the economic impact of the policy. This effect was more evident among participants with stronger place identity. Discussion focuses on the relevance of framing and matching effects in devising persuasive messages on the environmental and economic impact of pro-environmental policies.

Knowledge, Concerns, and Behaviors of Individuals During the First Week of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic in Italy.

Importance: At the beginning of a public health crisis, such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, it is important to collect information about people's knowledge, worries, and behaviors to examine their influence on quality of life and to understand individual characteristics associated with these reactions. Such information could help to guide health authorities in providing informed interventions and clear communications. Objectives: To document the initial knowledge about COVID-19 and recommended health behaviors; to assess worries (ie, one's perception of the influence of the worries of others on oneself), social appraisal, and preventive behaviors, comparing respondents from areas under different movement restrictions during the first week after the outbreak; and to understand how worries, perceived risk, and preventive behaviors were associated with quality of life and individual characteristics among Italian adults. Design, Setting, and Participants: This convenience sample, nonprobablistic survey study recruited adult participants with a snowballing sampling method in any Italian region during the first week of the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy from February 26, 2020, to March 4, 2020. Data were analyzed from March 5 to 12, 2020. Exposures: Information was collected from citizens living in the quarantine zone (ie, red zone), area with restricted movements (ie, yellow zone), and COVID-19-free regions (ie, green zone). Main Outcomes and Measures: Levels of knowledge on the virus, contagion-related worries, social appraisal, and preventive behaviors were assessed with ratings of quality of life (measured using the Short Form Health Survey). Additionally, some individual characteristics that may be associated with worries and behaviors were assessed, including demographic characteristics, personality traits (measured using Big Five Inventory-10), perceived health control (measured using the internal control measure in the Health Locus of Control scale), optimism (measured using the Revised Life Orientation Test), and the need for cognitive closure (measured using the Need for Closure Scale). Results: A total of 3109 individuals accessed the online questionnaire, and 2886 individuals responded to the questionnaire at least partially (mean [SD] age, 30.7 [13.2] years; 2203 [76.3%] women). Most participants were well informed about the virus characteristics and suggested behaviors, with a mean (SD) score of 77.4% (17.3%) correct answers. Quality of life was similar across the 3 zones (effect size = 0.02), but mental health was negatively associated with contagion-related worries (ß = -0.066), social appraisal (ß = -0.221), and preventive behaviors (ß = -0.066) in the yellow zone (R2 = 0.108). Social appraisal was also associated with reduced psychological well-being in the green zone (ß = -0.205; R2 = 0.121). In the yellow zone, higher worries were negatively correlated with emotional stability (ß = -0.165; R2 = 0.047). Emotional stability was also negatively associated with perceived susceptibility in the yellow (ß = -0.108; R2 = 0.040) and green (ß = -0.170; R2 = 0.087) zones. Preventative behaviors and social appraisal were also associated with the need for cognitive closure in both yellow (preventive behavior: ß = 0.110; R2 = 0.023; social appraisal ß = 0.115; R2 = 0.104) and green (preventive behavior: ß = 0.174; R2 = 0.022; social appraisal: 0.261; R2 = 0.137) zones. Conclusions and Relevance: These findings suggest that during the first week of the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy, people were well informed and had a relatively stable level of worries. Quality of life did not vary across the areas, although mental well-being was challenged by the social appraisal and worries related to the contagion. Increased scores for worries and concerns were associated with more cognitive rigidity and emotional instability.

Different Frames to Reduce Red Meat Intake: The Moderating Role of Self-Efficacy.

Previous research has shown that messages aimed at reducing red meat intake often do not have the expected effect. In the present study, we tested whether prefactual ("If… then") or factual messages focused on health or wellbeing concerns have different persuasive effects depending on the recipient's level of eating self-efficacy. Young adult participants (N = 247) completed a questionnaire measuring their eating self-efficacy and current red meat consumption. They were then presented with a prefactual or factual version of a message describing the possible negative impact of excessive red meat consumption on either health or wellbeing. After reading the message participants reported their involvement with the message and intention to eat red meat in the future. Results showed that prefactual wellbeing messages and factual health messages trigger participants' involvement and, in turn, reduce their intention to eat red meat more than the other message combinations. Eating self-efficacy moderates these effects, with factual health messages persuading people with high self-efficacy and prefactual wellbeing messages persuading also receivers with an average level of self-efficacy. Discussion focuses on which message frames can be more effective in promoting a reduction in red meat consumption in a wider population.

Regulatory Focus and the Effect of Nutritional Messages on Health and Well-Being: The Case of Red Meat Intake.

BACKGROUND: The persuasiveness of nutritional messages varies according to individual regulatory focus. However, so far research has focused on the negative or positive valence of the message, while we lack research on the differential effectiveness of health vs. well-being messages. We tested whether messages centred on negative health or well-being outcomes influenced the intention to eat red meat, and whether participants' predominant regulatory focus moderated this effect. METHODS: Participants (N = 207; 83 males, 124 females; mean age = 24.89, SD = 7.76) completed a questionnaire measuring dietary preferences and predominant regulatory focus. They were then presented with different versions of a message describing the negative effects of excessive red meat consumption on either health or well-being. They rated their involvement in the message and intention to eat red meat. RESULTS: Participants with a prevalent prevention focus showed greater involvement and lower intention to eat red meat after reading health messages than after reading well-being messages. No such difference was found in participants with a prevalent promotion focus. CONCLUSIONS: Emphasising the avoidance of organic diseases appears to be an effective strategy to involve individuals and reduce their intention to eat red meat, especially when they have a predominant prevention focus.

Informational and emotional daily messages to reduce red and processed meat consumption.

In the present study we tested a daily messaging intervention aimed at promoting the reduction of red and processed meat consumption (RPMC). We randomly allocated 180 young adults to three different message conditions. Participants in the informational condition read messages on the consequences of excessive RPMC on one's health and the environment. Participants in the emotional condition read messages eliciting anticipated regret for the consequences of excessive RPMC on one's health and the environment. Participants in the control condition read messages on the health and the environment consequences of sugar consumption. We sent messages through a chatbot every morning for two weeks. RPMC, attitude, intention, and anticipated regret regarding RPMC were measured three times: before the two-week messaging intervention (baseline), immediately after the intervention (post intervention) and two months thereafter (follow up). RPMC was also measured through food diaries, completed for two weeks after the intervention. Compared to the control condition, participants exposed to emotional messages reduced RPMC at follow up, while this was not the case for participants exposed to informational messages. In addition, anticipated regret and intention mediated the effects of emotional messages on RPMC. Implications for devising effective messaging interventions to change RPMC are discussed.

Promoting change in meat consumption among the elderly: Factual and prefactual framing of health and well-being.

Messages aimed at changing eating habits of the elderly are often not persuasive. In two studies, we tested the hypothesis that the persuasiveness of messages regarding the effects of meat consumption on health versus well-being would depend on their factual versus prefactual ('if … then … ') framing. Different groups of elderly participants were presented with different versions of a message describing the possible negative effects of excessive meat consumption. Results of a preliminary study showed that messages about the effects of meat consumption on health and well-being induced a different regulatory concern in recipients, safety and growth concerns respectively. Results of the two main studies then showed that messages about health/safety had stronger effects on participants' involvement, attitudes, and intentions to change eating behaviour when framed in factual rather than prefactual terms. Conversely, messages about well-being/growth had stronger effects when framed in prefactual rather than factual terms. Discussion focuses on how the appropriate framing of messages about meat consumption can effectively promote changes in eating habits of elderly people.