Using Descriptive and Injunctive Norms to Encourage COVID-19 Social Distancing and Vaccinations

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the authors conduct three online studies to examine effects of health messages that use descriptive norms to bring attention to pervasive social distancing violations and vaccine resistance. The studies provide empirical evidence that when social messages show examples of widespread noncompliant behaviors, they may unintentionally increase resistance to social distancing guidelines and vaccinations. Backfire effects are more pronounced when audiences highly identify with noncompliant actors or pay more attention to others’ behaviors. We also show that injunctive norms should be included to alleviate backfire effects. The studies suggest that governments and authorities can more effectively encourage compliance with health guidelines by focusing on the majority of compliant individuals rather than broadcasting images of noncompliant individuals.