Reducing mask resistance among White evangelical Christians with value-consistent messages.

ABSTRACT: Public health experts have advocated for wearing protective face masks to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, yet some populations are resistant. Can certain messages shift attitudes toward masks? We investigate the effect of value-consistent messages within a mask-skeptical population: White evangelicals in the United States. An experiment within a national survey of White evangelicals (n = 1,212) assigned respondents to one of three conditions: One group was given a religious message equating mask use with loving your neighbor, another was given a message by Donald Trump saying mask use is patriotic, and a control group received no message. Those exposed to the religious message were more likely to see mask use as important and were more supportive of mask mandates. Republican evangelic

SUBMITTER: DeMora SL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8166109 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature