Consequences of Failure to Acknowledge Individual Responsibility in Narratives to Promote Obesity-Reducing Policies

• In Event: Health Narratives and Messages

Abstract

This study tests whether messages designed to increase support for obesity-related public policies should explicitly acknowledge individual responsibility while emphasizing environmental determinants of obesity. We use a web-based, randomized experiment with a national sample of American adults (N = 718) to test hypotheses derived from theory and research on narrative persuasion. Results indicate that respondents exposed to messages that acknowledged individual responsibility while emphasizing environmental determinants of obesity were less likely to counterargue the message and felt more empathy for the story’s main character than those exposed to a message that did not acknowledge individual responsibility. Counterarguing and affective empathy fully mediated the relationship between randomized message condition and support for policies to reduce rates of obesity, suggesting that these variables play a key role in shaping responses to narratives to increase obesity-related policy support. We conclude with a discussion of the theoretical and practical considerations of this research.

Authors

• Jeff Niederdeppe, Cornell U

• Michael A. Shapiro, Cornell U

• Sungjong Roh, Cornell University