Highlighting the Collective Harm: Tackle Illicit Drug Use in the Netherlands With Moral Appeals

• In Event: Social perceptions of crme

Abstract

Addressing the pervasive issue of recreational illicit drug use remains a global challenge yet years of anti-drug campaigns yielded unsatisfactory results. While previous anti-drug campaigns have mostly focused on the adverse effects of illicit drugs individually (i.e., health-related harm), this research aims to provide a novel intervention by framing recreational illicit drug use as a problem of social dilemma — a conflict between immediate self-pleasure and longer-term collective harms (e.g., contributing to organized crime and cross-national corruption). What are the effects of moral appeals highlighting the collective harm of illicit drug use on decreasing illicit drug use intention and increasing negative attitudes toward drug use? And how will prior illicit drug use moderate such effects? To answer these questions, we conducted four studies in the Netherlands with surveys and a longitudinal, field experiment.

Studies 1-3 (Ntotal = 917) tested the effect of moral appeals delivered in text format with online surveys. Study 4 (N = 613) employed a two-week time-lagged design, targeting participants attending events with prevalent recreational illicit drug use, and introduced video moral appeals alongside text format. Exposed to the manipulations in Wave 1, participants reported intentions and attitudes in both waves and disclosed drug use behaviors between Wave 1 and 2. Across studies, the results revealed the potential of moral appeals in reducing future illicit drug use intentions, particularly for individuals with a history of drug use. Additionally, the research revealed a broader impact of moral appeals in fostering negative attitudes toward illicit drug use, irrespective of individuals' prior behaviors. A subsequent mini meta-analysis further supported these findings.

In summary, by emphasizing collective harms of illicit drug use, our findings offer a nuanced perspective and advocate for the incorporation of moral appeals in future anti-drug initiatives, marking a pivotal step toward more effective interventions.

Authors

• Sylvia Xu, University of Groningen

• Laetitia Mulder, University of Groningen

• Floor Rink, University of Groningen