A global experiment on motivating social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic
Gialitaki, Zoi
Jang, Yuna
Houston, Ralph
Sverdrup, Therese E.
Paltrow, Tamar
Stojanovska, Dragana
Tshonda, Sarah Suzette
Sacakli, Asli
Bravo, Olalla Nino
Nadif, Khaoula
Tejada Rivera, Maria del Carmen
Sirota, Miroslav
Seehuus, Martin
Parzuchowski, Michal
Maldonado, Monica Alarcon
Oosterlinck, Marlies
Sabristov, Marina
Muminov, Abdumalik
Kossowska, Malgorzata
Kushnir, Elizaveta
Wachowicz, Jakub
Kirgizova, Komila
Staniaszek, Karolina
Urriago-Rayo, Joan
Sula, Isabela
Cocco, Beatrice
Hubena, Barbora
Skowronek, Anna
Primbs, Maximilian A.
- 1Illinois Institute of Technology
- 2Durham University
- 3University of Reading
- 4Clarkson University
- 5United Arab Emirates University
- 6University of Minnesota System
- 7University of Pecs
- 8University of Ljubljana
- 9Ghent University
- 10Grenoble Ecole Management
- 11Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE)
- 12State University System of Florida
- 13Senshu Univ
- 14Kyushu University
- 15University of Hong Kong
- 16Shanghai International Studies University
- 17University of Amsterdam
- 18Claremont Colleges
- 19University of Toronto
- 20Montclair State University
- 21INSEAD Business School
- 22Universidad de los Andes (Colombia)
- 23Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK)
- 24Universidad Adolfo Ibanez
- 25Nova Southeastern University
- 26Charles University Prague
- 27HSE University (National Research University Higher School of Economics)
- 28Norwegian School of Economics (NHH)
- 29Ruprecht Karls University Heidelberg
- 30University of Belgrade
- 31University of JJ Strossmayer Osijek
- 32New Bulgarian University
- 33University of Zadar
- 34University of Vienna
- 35Univ East London
- 36University of Southern Queensland
- 37Universidade de Brasilia
- 38Witten Herdecke Univ
- 39Macquarie University
- 40Wilfrid Laurier University
- 41Institute of Linguistics, Russian Academy of Sciences
- 42Stockholm University
- 43University of Dhaka
- 44Manchester Metropolitan University
- 45Waseda University
- 46Eotvos Lorand University
- 47Jagiellonian University
- 48ZHAW Zurich Univ Appl
- 49Suranaree University of Technology
- 50Universite Federale Toulouse Midi-Pyrenees (ComUE)
- 51University of Nottingham Malaysia
- 52Karl Landsteiner Univ Hlth Sci
- 53University of Mississippi
- 54Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE)
- 55Mohammed V University in Rabat
- 56University of Wroclaw
- 57University System of Ohio
- 58PSA Psihesko
- 59Ruhr University Bochum
- 60Bar Ilan University
- 61McGill University
- 62University of Fraser Valley
- 63Universites de Strasbourg Etablissements Associes
- 64Universita della Campania Vanvitelli
- 65University of Maribor
- 66Sapienza University Rome
- 67University of Warwick
- 68Universidade do Porto
- 69Abo Akademi University
- 70Univ Reg Amazonica Ikiam
- 71Univ Guadalajara
- 72Union Univ
- 73Black Dog Institute
- 74University of Cambridge
- 75Erzurum Technical University
- 76FOM Univ Appl Sci
- 77Urmia University
- 78University of Opole
- 79Universidade Cruzeiro do Sul
- 80
- 81Northern Illinois University
- 82Australian Catholic University
- 83Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru
- 84Tarbiat Modares University
- 85Tilburg University
- 86Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso
- 87Univ Konstanz
- 88Ben Gurion University
- 89Dominican Univ
- 90University of Tehran
- 91Instituto Universitario de Lisboa
- 92University of Sofia
- 93Max Planck Society
- 94University of Wuppertal
- 95University of Adelaide
- 96Constructor University
- 97Tzu Chi University
- 98University of the Philippines System
- 99Eindhoven University of Technology
- 100University of Pavol Jozef Safarik Kosice
- 101Arellano Univ
- 102University of Essex
- 103Communaute Universite Grenoble Alpes
- 104Sampurna Montfort Coll
- 105Concordia University - Canada
- 106National University of Cordoba
- 107University of Deusto
- 108Alex Ekwueme Fed Univ
- 109SWPS University of Social Sciences & Humanities
- 110Psychological Institute, Russian Academy of Education
- 111University of Haifa
- 112Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico
- 113University of Southern Denmark
- 114University of Oxford
- 115University of London
- 116Prague University of Economics & Business
- 117German Institute for International Educational Research
- 118Pennsylvania Commonwealth System of Higher Education (PCSHE)
- 119University of Delaware
- 120Singapore Management University
- 121University of Hildesheim
- 122Universidad de Sonora
- 123Paul Valery Montpellier 3 Univ
- 124Bournemouth University
- 125Government College University Lahore
- 126Bangladesh Clin Psychol Soc
- 127Maria Curie-Sklodowska University
- 128Universidad del Desarrollo
- 129University of Cyprus
- 130University of Padua
- 131Singidunum Univ
- 132University of Messina
- 133Universite Paul-Valery
- 134Ihsan Dogramaci Bilkent University
- 135University of Wisconsin System
- 136University of Delhi
- 137University of Bergen
- 138University of Presov
- 139Comenius University Bratislava
- 140Leeds Beckett University
- 141University of Surrey
- 142SWPS Univ Social Sci & Humanities Sopot
- 143University of Silesia in Katowice
- 144National & Kapodistrian University of Athens
- 145University of Oslo
- 146University of Milano-Bicocca
- 147University of Louisiana Lafayette
- 148Universidad de La Frontera
- 149Radboud University Nijmegen
- 150Universidade de Sao Paulo
- 151University of Bath
- 152University of Birmingham
- 153Ithaca College
- 154University of Navarra
- 155Universite Paris Cite
- 156Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
- 157Northumbria University
- 158University College Cork
- 159Occidental College
- 160University of Wurzburg
- 161University of Primorska
- 162Universidad del Rosario
- 163Matej Bel University
- 164HUN-REN
- 165Lancaster University
- 166University of Queensland
- 167Sewanee: University of the South
- 168Emporia State Univ
- 169Murdoch University
- 170Adekunle Ajasin Univ
- 171University of Canberra
- 172University of Edinburgh
- 173London Gates Educ Grp
- 174Willamette University
- 175UiT The Arctic University of Tromso
- 176Erasmus University Rotterdam
- 177Univ St Andrews
- 178Southern Illinois University System
- 179University of Valencia
- 180Kingston University
- 181Stevens Institute of Technology
- 182University of Geneva
- 183Goethe University Frankfurt
- 184Leipzig University
- 185Universidad de Lima
- 186University System of Georgia
- 187Virginia Commonwealth University
- 188Aarhus University
- 189University of Alabama System
- 190University of California System
- 191Univ Southern Indiana
- 192University of Mannheim
- 193University of Manchester
- 194University of Sheffield
- 195Atilim University
- 196Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu
- 197Universidade de Coimbra
- 198Ankara Medipol University
- 199Fukuoka Institute of Technology
- 200Nottingham Trent University
- 201Macedonian Acad Sci & Arts
- 202University of Graz
- 203Mugla Sitki Kocman University
- 204Nanjing Normal University
- 205Chulalongkorn University
- 206Ankara Science University
- 207Baylor College of Medicine
- 208Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
- 209Simon Fraser University
- 210Purdue University System
- 211Aalto University
- 212University of Quebec
- 213Tecnologico de Monterrey
- 214Friedrich Schiller University of Jena
- 215Ferdowsi University Mashhad
- 216Saint Joseph's University
- 217Leiden University - Excl LUMC
- 218Curtin University
- 219Afyon Kocatepe University
- 220Hacettepe University
- 221Swinburne University of Technology
- 222Inst Social Sci Ivo Pilar
- 223Univ Latina Costa Rica
- 224Beijing Normal University
- 225California State University System
- 226Fdn Univ Konrad Lorenz
- 227University of Denver
- 228University of St Gallen
- 229Norvel Psychol Ctr Counselling & Res
- 230University of Auckland
- 231University of Aberdeen
- 232University of Zurich
- 233Calif Polytech Univ Humboldt
- 234Chinese Center for Disease Control & Prevention
- 235University of Rochester
- 236Ollscoil na Gaillimhe-University of Galway
- 237University of Naples L'Orientale
- 238Baskent University
- 239Franklin & Marshall College
- 240Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
- 241University of East London
- 242Leiden University
- 243Michigan State University
- 244Jose Rizal University
- 245University of Tabriz
- 246University of Jordan
- 247Fo Guang University
- 248Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
- 249Lomonosov Moscow State University
- 250Stanford University
- 251Samsun University
- 252University of the Sunshine Coast
- 253University of Southern California
- 254Oakland University
- 255Queens University Belfast
- 256De La Salle University
- 257Kozminski University
- 258University of Trieste
- 259Uskudar University
- 260Kindergarten Kustosija
- 261Busara Ctr Behav Econ
- 262Cyprus University of Technology
- 263Universidade de Lisboa
- 264University of St Andrews
- 265New York University
- 266University of Warsaw
- 267La Trobe University
- 268University of Limerick
- 269Lovisenberg Diaconal Hosp
- 270Ibn Tofail University of Kenitra
- 271Western Kentucky University
- 272Swansea University
- 273University of Crete
- 274Harvard University
- 275Tufts University
- 276United States International University Africa
- 277University of Virginia
- 278Harrisburg Univ Sci & Technol
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
ISSN
0027-8424
1091-6490
Open Access
hybrid
Volume
119
Finding communication strategies that effectively motivate social distancing continues to be a global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-country, preregistered experiment (n = 25,718 from 89 countries) tested hypotheses concerning generalizable positive and negative outcomes of social distancing messages that promoted personal agency and reflective choices (i.e., an autonomy-supportive message) or were restrictive and shaming (i.e., a controlling message) compared with no message at all. Results partially supported experimental hypotheses in that the controlling message increased controlled motivation (a poorly internalized form of motivation relying on shame, guilt, and fear of social consequences) relative to no message. On the other hand, the autonomy-supportive message lowered feelings of defiance compared with the controlling message, but the controlling message did not differ from receiving no message at all. Unexpectedly, messages did not influence autonomous motivation (a highly internalized form of motivation relying on one's core values) or behavioral intentions. Results supported hypothesized associations between people's existing autonomous and controlled motivations and self-reported behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing. Controlled motivation was associated with more defiance and less long-term behavioral intention to engage in social distancing, whereas autonomous motivation was associated with less defiance and more short- and long-term intentions to social distance. Overall, this work highlights the potential harm of using shaming and pressuring language in public health communication, with implications for the current and future global health challenges.