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Public support is crucial for effective policy implementation, and persuasive messaging plays a key role in fostering this support. While existing research has primarily examined how policy messaging—specifically, message framing and message forms—influences public attitudes under static policy, less attention has been paid to its role during policy changes. Moreover, how different message framings interact with message forms to affect public attitudes remains underexplored. This study addresses these gaps through an empirical examination of how persuasive messaging strategies influence public support, with a particular focus on China’s shift from a stringent zero-COVID policy to a more relaxed approach in late 2022. Utilizing a timely survey experiment, this study evaluates the effect of different message framing (health risk framing vs. economic loss framing) combined with distinct message forms (narrative, statistical evidence, and expert argument). The findings reveal that both framings significantly influence public support by altering public beliefs about policy outcomes. Furthermore, the message form moderates this impact, with narrative and expert argument forms proving more persuasive than statistical evidence. This research contributes to public administration by providing insights into effective government messaging that secures legitimacy and policy support during policy changes.
Xu et al. (Wed,) studied this question.