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The message testing behind the state’s new face-mask ad campaign

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Illinois
Polls

Is there anything the government can say to get people to wear masks during a pandemic? There’s one message that had some positive effect, at least in Illinois.

A recent survey of more than than 2,000 state residents offered respondents five different messages and gauged whether they made people more or less likely to wear a mask in public, as compared to a control group that saw no message. Comparing masks to helmets and seatbelts was the only message that had a positive impact on people’s decisions. […]

About 92% of respondents who were shown the message that compared masks to helmets and seatbelts were likely to wear a mask, compared to 89% of the respondents in the control group. A 3 percentage point increase may not seem like much, but Civis says messages like these tend to have a lower effect for issues that people have already been highly exposed to. “People have heard so much about it that their opinions are strongly held,” Crystal Son, health care analytics director at Civis, said in an email. “Given the saturation of messaging around Covid and masks, a 3 [percentage point] treatment effect is both statistically significant and meaningful.” […]

The worst-performing message showed the World Health Organization finding that masks may reduce Covid-19 spread by 85% and included text that began, “The science is clear.” That strategy led to a 3 percentage point decrease in mask-wearing likelihood as compared to the control group. The other message with a negative effect showed images of people wearing masks with text over it that read, “If it gets us out, we’re all in,” with smaller text explaining that wearing a mask lets people get out of the house. Messages invoking a potential second wave of coronavirus and the risk of infecting elderly family members had neutral effects.

The researchers also broke down the responses regionally. In areas outside of northeast Illinois and the Chicago metro area, the comparison to seatbelts and helmets had an even greater effect, increasing mask-wearing by 5 percentage points. It was also more effective in rural areas, showing a similar increase of 5 percentage points, compared to 3 percentage points among urban and and suburban areas. The four other messages, however, were no more effective among any of these groups.

The full poll is here. The poll was paid for by Civis, which is helping the administration with its response.

* They tested five messages…

As you know, the first one tested best and they’re using it. That one also had a projected “backlash probability” of just 3 percent. The “85 percent” message had the highest backlash probability, at a whopping 90 percent.

There’s more, so click here.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Aug 18, 20 @ 12:27 pm

Comments

It says so much about where we are in America 2020 that the worst performing message begins with “The science is clear.” The rejection of science and facts is the surest sign possible that we are a society in decline (or at least a large portion of us are in decline). There are no words.

Comment by Chicago Cynic Tuesday, Aug 18, 20 @ 12:30 pm
How did “Don’t be a Covidiot” rate?

Comment by Sayitaintso Tuesday, Aug 18, 20 @ 12:36 pm
This is the way to do it. Test the message, refine and retest. Track response. Lather, rinse, repeat.

We know how to do this stuff. It’s expensive, sure — but it’s nowhere near as expensive as a policy failure.

Well done. Bravo. Well-planned, well-executed. Damn, JB

Comment by Soccermom Tuesday, Aug 18, 20 @ 12:36 pm
Q. - Is there anything the government can say to get people to wear masks during a pandemic?

No…it’s gonna take real people…face to face.

Force is the root word in enforcement.

Comment by Dotnonymous Tuesday, Aug 18, 20 @ 12:38 pm
I am happy to report seeing nearly 100% mask use in my downstate city since stores have required it as per Governor’s order. Previously it was about half. Not seeing that around campus as uniformly, so I am not looking forward to the return of students and the projected increase in cases of hundreds to over a thousand.

Comment by Simple Simon Tuesday, Aug 18, 20 @ 12:42 pm
You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.. About time someone figured that out. It is why the seat belt message works better than the others. Too bad for JB that Cuomo has already staked out the covid hero position for ‘24.

Comment by d Tuesday, Aug 18, 20 @ 12:44 pm
Whatever is psychologically appealing, go with it. It’s a very rational message, the one with seatbelts and helmets, because we’re already following those rules.

“The science is clear: wearing a mask helps”

As far as science, this upcoming election is arguably one of the most important one for our country. This president legitimizes anti-science and conspiracy. There is a large part of America who sees the virus as an overblown or outright hoax, and science as something to not be trusted or denied outright.

Comment by Grandson of Man Tuesday, Aug 18, 20 @ 12:47 pm
I’ve always know I was a weirdo but the 85% ad works for me.

Comment by Da Big Bad Wolf Tuesday, Aug 18, 20 @ 12:50 pm
Wonder how the helmet/seat message would have scored if they used a cycle helmet? As we recall certain regions of the believed it was a lst A right to splatter your head down the highway. Didnt they take the same approach to .o8 too?

Comment by Annonin' Tuesday, Aug 18, 20 @ 12:53 pm
=== Well done. Bravo. Well-planned, well-executed. Damn, JB
===

This would have been well done in April or May, or even early June.

It is almost September, and as the study notes, mask behavior has solidified.

Comment by Thomas Paine Tuesday, Aug 18, 20 @ 12:58 pm
My guess is that specifying it as a “who” study was the problem with the 85% one

Comment by fs Tuesday, Aug 18, 20 @ 1:05 pm
fs — thank you for demonstrating why it is important to test the exact message you plan to use, and then using it word-for-word like it was tested. We will never know whether people didn’t like the 85 percent or the WHO — all we know is that the entire message did not poll as well.

Comment by Soccermom Tuesday, Aug 18, 20 @ 1:09 pm
We all have different thought processes, but I like the first ad as well.

Comment by pool boy Tuesday, Aug 18, 20 @ 1:14 pm
“it’s just common sense” If only common sense was common

Comment by repete Tuesday, Aug 18, 20 @ 1:15 pm
At this point, any statistical research that will show the highest rate of mask wearing and following protocols is worth as much as the ad(s) itself/themselves

The goal of the exercise is to have effective messaging to save lives.

A seemingly simple goal until the human element needs certain coaxing to act for their better selves.

Think on that; you have to convince people that saving their lives and the lives of others is a good thing.

We are truly a cynical lot… the human race.

Arrogance, anger, and pride… have now superseded “fight or flight” instincts that might be the simple thought… of wearing a mask for others.

Whew.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Aug 18, 20 @ 1:29 pm
Covid Truther says what?

Yes, Archie, by all means quote a physicist about epidemiology. Next please tell me when you consult your podiatrist about your teeth.

Comment by Chicago Cynic Tuesday, Aug 18, 20 @ 2:28 pm
I think a focus on the science would help the messaging. Wear a mask INDOORS would to me be the most effective message as that’s the biggest risk. That 20% of Louisiana’s infections can be tracked to indoor bars shows me that the indoor risk multiplier isn’t well understood at all.

Comment by Biker Tuesday, Aug 18, 20 @ 2:28 pm
Denis Rancourt is an idiot.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/logical-take/202007/yes-masks-work-debunking-the-pseudoscience

Comment by Soccermom Tuesday, Aug 18, 20 @ 2:34 pm
By all means, let’s look at the places where people didn’t wear masks vs. where they did (scroll down to long list of country comparisons and dates of mask mandates):

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/07/20/mandatory-face-mask-requirements-global-coronavirus/

Comment by lake county democrat Tuesday, Aug 18, 20 @ 2:39 pm
Cynic — I think asking the podiatrist about his teeth makes sense. I’m guessing this is a guy who often puts his foot in his mouth

Comment by Soccermom Tuesday, Aug 18, 20 @ 2:44 pm
“Is there anything the government can say to get people to wear masks during a pandemic? “

The most effective ad was comparing a mask to devices that provide protection to the user. Currently we are told to wear a mask to protect others. Soon we may discover that a mask which blocks the flow of respiratory droplets in one direction will also block them flowing in the opposite direction. The filtering efficacy may vary due to the difference in the velocity of the droplets - a sneeze or cough will propel the droplets into the mask faster than normal inhalation would draw them in the opposite direction. But for normal talking and breathing the filtering effect should be unidirectional. Then the officials will tell us that the mask provides some protection to the wearer. Maybe then more people will wear one. Public health officials will have to be careful, however, discussing the beneficial effects to the wearer because the filtering effect is seriously degraded if the mask fits loosely to your face. They don’t want to create a false sense of security. But even a loosely fitting mask provides the wearer with some protection against the virus.

Comment by CapnCrunch Tuesday, Aug 18, 20 @ 3:12 pm
Soccermom-my compliments. I need a good laugh today and I spilled my afternoon cup of tea.

Comment by Almost Retired Tuesday, Aug 18, 20 @ 4:12 pm
Ad hominem attacks, cherry picking data, censorship. Yup, another normal day. Sssshhh, don’t talk about Sweden.

Comment by Archie Dbunker Tuesday, Aug 18, 20 @ 4:22 pm
I seriously question the intelligence of anyone who thinks this ad campaign is money well spent. Most normal people will look at this as confirmation that Illinois government has priorities out of whack.

Comment by 96Illini Tuesday, Aug 18, 20 @ 4:43 pm
“Sssshhh, don’t talk about Sweden.”

According to a study Sweden did not get the herd immunity rate that was hoped for, and had far higher death, infection and hospitalization rates than other Scandinavian countries who had stricter lockdowns.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0141076820945282

Comment by Grandson of Man Tuesday, Aug 18, 20 @ 5:54 pm