Motivating Emergency Preparedness Behaviors: The Differential Effects of Guilt Appeals and Actually Anticipating Guilty Feelings

The continuing threat of terrorist attacks and natural disasters presents a unique challenge for communication scholars and practitioners. One way to increase motivation is through the use of guilt appeals; yet, message designers must be aware of the potential negative consequences of employing messages that induce too much guilt. In a field experiment, researchers investigate the use of guilt appeals within the context of disaster preparedness with a nationally representative sample to enhance perceived importance of emergency preparedness, increase risk perceptions, and motivate behavioral intentions to prepare.