Now or never? Temporal framing in risk messages and the moderating effect of comparative optimism

Abstract

Risk messages inform consumers about relevant risks and typically recommend preventive behaviors such as being more physically active or taking out occupational disability insurance. Often, the appeals include some form of time reference, such as “find out about disability insurance this month” or “find out about disability insurance this year”. In general, the effects of such proximal compared to distal time references on compliance intention may be positive or negative, and we examine how the effects depend on consumers’ comparative optimism. In two studies in the context of occupational disability insurance, proximal temporal framing proved more effective than distal framing among comparative optimists but not among nonoptimists. We recommend that when targeting comparative optimists, risk message designers should use proximal temporal framing in their recommendations.