COVID-19 vaccine messaging for young adults: Examining framing, other-referencing, and health beliefs.

Objective: This study investigates the interaction between message framing and point-of-reference (self vs. others) for vaccine benefits on young adults' COVID-19 vaccine confidence and intentions. It also examines how COVID-19-related health beliefs-such as perceived severity of COVID-19 and perceived benefits of obtaining the vaccine to protect others-mediate these interactions.

Method: In a 2 (framing: gain vs. loss) × 3 (reference point: self, others, university community) between-subjects experiment (Fall 2021), 202 participants ages 18-23 were shown animated messages with embedded manipulations to convey vaccine information. Moderated mediation models tested the conditional indirect effects of framing on vaccine confidence and intentions.

Results: Reference point significantly moderated the effect of framing on the perceived severity of COVID-19. More specifically, and somewhat contrary to previous literature, perceived severity was highest when messages emphasized gains for others. In turn, perceived severity correlated positively with vaccine confidence and intentions, resulting in a significant conditional indirect effect. Despite its positive relationship with COVID-19 vaccine confidence and intentions, perceived benefit to others was not a significant mediator.

Conclusion: This study provides evidence for the role of reference point in moderating the effect of gain-loss message framing on COVID-19 vaccine attitudes and intentions. However, the findings differ from past research, suggesting other-gain messages may be an optimal strategy for promoting these vaccine outcomes for young adults. Overall, findings have implications for developing tailored messaging strategies that account for the nature of targeted populations and the evolving perceptions of the disease and its associated messaging campaigns. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).