Crafting Persuasive Stories: How Uncertainty and Sidedness Influence Narrative Efficacy in Promoting Updated COVID-19 Vaccination

This study investigates the impact of narratives, message sidedness, and psychological uncertainty on promoting updated COVID-19 vaccination. A 2 (narrative vs. non-narrative) × 2 (one-sided vs. two-sided) × 2 (high vs. low uncertainty) between-subjects online experiment ( N = 600) revealed significant three-way interaction effects between narratives, sidedness, and uncertainty on vaccination attitudes and intentions. Specifically, when participants were primed to experience high uncertainty, the one-sided narrative was more persuasive than both the two-sided narrative and the one-sided nonnarrative message. Yet, under conditions of low uncertainty, distinct message types did not show differential persuasive effects. Moreover, the three-way interaction effects were mediated by emotional responses and counterarguing. Theoretical implications for narrative persuasion and practical implications for campaign message design are discussed.