Message Framing, Regulatory Focus, and Venue of Consumption: An Interaction Study about Mask Mandate Compliance

Motivation: Mask-wearing can effectively control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the effects of message framing (i.e., messages emphasizing the gains/losses of wearing/not wearing masks) on mask-wearing have been exam-ined in previous studies. This study is intended to address some of the insuffi-ciencies in this line of research and explore more effective ways to encourage mask-wearing among the public. Premise: Built upon the extant literature about the compatibility among mes-sage framing, regulatory focus (i.e., an individual's sensitivity to positive/nega-tive outcomes), and the hedonic/utilitarian nature of a consumption experience, this study hypothesizes enhanced persuasiveness of a mask mandate due to the compatibility. Approach: Data was collected through an experiment, and analysis of covari-ance was used to examine the enhanced persuasiveness. Results: A gain-framed message leads to stronger compliance with a mask man-date than does a loss-framed message among those sensitive to positive out-comes in a hedonic setting. A loss-framed message leads to stronger compliance with the mask mandate than does a gain-framed message among those sensitive to negative outcomes in a utilitarian setting. Conclusion: The hypothesized enhancement effect is supported, and the study contributes to building a better framework for the mechanism involved. Consistency: This study provides guidelines to more effectively manage mask mandates in hedonic and utilitarian venues. Given that we have entered a pan-demic era and mask mandates are likely to be re-implemented, guidelines will be valuable.