TY - JOUR
T1 - Perceptions of Pandemic Messaging Across 36 Weeks
T2 - A Repeated Cross-Section Design With U.S. Adults
AU - Jensen, Jakob D.
AU - Barbour, Joshua B.
AU - Lillie, Helen M.
AU - Ratcliff, Chelsea L.
AU - Pokharel, Manusheela
AU - King, Andy J.
N1 - The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This manuscript was written with support from National Institutes of Health (NIH) under award number 1DP2EB022360-01 (PI: J.D.J.), NIH grant under award number 3P30CA042014-29S7 (PI: J.D.J.), National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the NIH under Award Number R01GM141476 (MPI: J.B.B.), and the Immunology, Inflammation, and Infectious Disease Initiative (PIs: J.D.J. & A.J.K.). This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. SES-1750731.
PY - 2026/2
Y1 - 2026/2
N2 - To understand public perceptions of pandemic messaging, we surveyed U.S. adults for 36 consecutive weeks starting on March 12, 2020. Using a repeated cross-section design, we tracked intentions to engage in protective behaviors, demographics, and four message perceptions: exhaustion, overload, repetition, and exaggeration. Exhaustion increased over time and became negatively related to intentions (rising negativity model). Exaggeration was stable across the 36 weeks, yet had the strongest negative relationship with intentions and that relationship increased over time (fixed model with increasing negative relationship). Overload and repetition were positively related to intentions, but the relationships faded over time (fading positivity model).
AB - To understand public perceptions of pandemic messaging, we surveyed U.S. adults for 36 consecutive weeks starting on March 12, 2020. Using a repeated cross-section design, we tracked intentions to engage in protective behaviors, demographics, and four message perceptions: exhaustion, overload, repetition, and exaggeration. Exhaustion increased over time and became negatively related to intentions (rising negativity model). Exaggeration was stable across the 36 weeks, yet had the strongest negative relationship with intentions and that relationship increased over time (fixed model with increasing negative relationship). Overload and repetition were positively related to intentions, but the relationships faded over time (fading positivity model).
KW - behavioral intentions
KW - COVID-19
KW - exaggeration
KW - exhaustion
KW - longitudinal data
KW - overload
KW - repetition
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/86000791856
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/86000791856#tab=citedBy
U2 - 10.1177/10755470251318199
DO - 10.1177/10755470251318199
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:86000791856
SN - 1075-5470
VL - 48
SP - 59
EP - 92
JO - Science Communication
JF - Science Communication
IS - 1
ER -