Fear appeals in Chinese public signs of COVID-19 prevention in local communities

Abstract

Guided by the Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM), this paper explicates the messaging strategies in Chinese public signs of COVID-19 prevention in local communities. 162 signs were collected from Internet posts. Our results show that the EPPM is a viable fear appeal framework to explain the communication of public health risks. Most signs communicated the threat of the virus to the public, whereas fewer signs emphasized the efficacy to effectively control the threat. In addition to communicating individual threat and efficacy, quite a few signs also highlighted collective threat and efficacy. Moreover, the language used in these signs is tailored to local cultural and social conventions. These findings not only contribute to the growing body of research on the interpersonal function of public signage from a Chinese perspective, but also demonstrate the utility of combining pragmatic research with messaging strategies in health communication research.