Sixty years of fear appeal research: Current state of the evidence

Fear arousal is widely used in persuasive campaigns and behavioral change interventions. Yet, experimental evidence argues against the use of threatening health information. The authors reviewed the current state of empirical evidence on the effectiveness of fear appeals. Following a brief overview...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of psychology 2014-04, Vol.49 (2), p.63-70
Main Authors: Ruiter, Robert A. C., Kessels, Loes T. E., Peters, Gjalt-Jorn Y., Kok, Gerjo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavior
Behavior change
Behavior Control - methods
Effectiveness
Evidence-Based Medicine
Fear
Fear appeals
Health Education - methods
Health Education - trends
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Health Promotion - methods
Health Promotion - trends
Humans
Literature review
Meta-Analysis as Topic
Persuasion
Persuasive Communication
Risk Reduction Behavior
Self Efficacy
Threat information
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Summary:Fear arousal is widely used in persuasive campaigns and behavioral change interventions. Yet, experimental evidence argues against the use of threatening health information. The authors reviewed the current state of empirical evidence on the effectiveness of fear appeals. Following a brief overview of the use of fear arousal in health education practice and the structure of effective fear appeals according to two main theoretical frameworks—protection motivation theory and the extended parallel process model—the findings of six meta‐analytic studies in the effectiveness of fear appeals are summarized. It is concluded that coping information aimed at increasing perceptions of response effectiveness and especially self‐efficacy is more important in promoting protective action than presenting threatening health information aimed at increasing risk perceptions and fear arousal. Alternative behavior change methods than fear appeals should be considered.
ISSN:0020-7594
1464-066X
DOI:10.1002/ijop.12042