Do 360-Character Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) Messages Work Better than 90-Character Messages? Testing the Risk Communication Consensus.

Based on early evidence, risk communication scholars have come to believe that longer (360-character maximum) mobile public warning messages generate more compliance than shorter (90-character maximum) messages. This study used an experimental design to test that premise. The study measured participants' ( = 481) likelihood of compliance in response to a mock Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) message, as well as alternatives to immediate compliance: seeking additional information, taking non-recommended action, or ignoring the message.