The research is in:
Yes, there were mixed messages from the government at the beginning which did not help with adoption by the public. But the message is now clear: wear masks and we will beat this thing. In fact, both New York and Italy started to see infection rates flatten only after mandatory face mask measures were put in place.
Even a modest, 5% increase in mask-wearing will equate to a reduction in transmissions in the tens of thousands. In short: it’s worth the effort. So then the question is this:
FOR THOSE WHO DON’T WEAR MASKS, WHAT ARE THEY THINKING? HOW DO WE CONVINCE THEM OTHERWISE? HOW DO WE NUDGE THEIR BEHAVIOR?
We decided to test messaging around mask wearing to see what it takes to nudge behavior in the right direction.
We first asked why people don’t wear masks, then we tested 2 differing messages – gentle and assertive – to see which would move the needle.
Wearing face masks in public corresponds to the most effective means to prevent inter-human transmission.
-National Academy of Sciences and Cambridge University
How Our Test Messages differed
The first message (“ASSERTIVE”) was around the science of transmitting Covid: “Thousands of people are dying; Masks decrease the risk that you will become infected or will infect your family. Do the right thing.” (paraphrasing)
The second message (“GENTLE”) was the ‘soft-sell’ approach: “I don’t like being told what to do, and they are uncomfortable to wear, but if it protects me from you and you from me, then I’m in.” (paraphrasing)
The Results
We uncovered 2 key things that the NEVER WEAR group believes that the other groups don’t:
- They think the risk is exaggerated; some even distrust the science: As an Epidemiologist at U. of California so elegantly puts it, “People just think this is a nothing-burger. So they think the risk is exaggerated.”
- Never-wearers were more likely to be willing to get back to their normal activities faster (this supports the idea that they think the risk is over-blown) They are simply tired of it all.
I understand how people must be very tired of this at this point. But the virus doesn’t care that we’re tired.”
WHICH MESSAGES RESONATED WITH THE TOUGHEST CROWD?
The NEVER group consistently reacted favorably to 3 sentiments:
Americans resist being told what to do
Masks don’t prevent the wearer from getting infected by the virus
Masks don’t need to be worn outside, when 6 feet away from someone, or while jogging
So we can use these learnings in phase 2. We know from Phase 1 that this group is not ‘unreachable’; a full 35% said they would wear a mask more often. We can quickly see how a different messaging approach toward a specific group can move the needle—get them to do something they otherwise would not. This is how progress happens: test, refine, retest.
To discuss the data behind this project or how we may be of help with your messaging, please give me a shout.
