When Numbers Are Frightening: Effects of Message Framing on Judgments of Risk and Behavioral Intentions
We propose that framing may cause consumers to respond differentially to equivalent descriptions of the same information. Specifically, when the information is framed negatively (e.g., require repairs) respondents are more likely to engage in risk-reducing behaviors and buy a product if relative frequency (e.g., 1/20) is used as compared to percentage (e.g., 5%), but when the information is framed positively (e.g., operate without repairs) this effect disappears. We investigate the underlying process and show that when the impact information is presented as negative relative frequency respondents exhibit higher negative affect, resulting in higher perceived risk and lower choice likelihood.
Citation:
Nevena Koukova and Joydeep Srivastava (2009) ,"When Numbers Are Frightening: Effects of Message Framing on Judgments of Risk and Behavioral Intentions", in AP - Asia-Pacific Advances in Consumer Research Volume 8, eds. Sridhar Samu, Rajiv Vaidyanathan, and Dipankar Chakravarti, Duluth, MN : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 42-43.
Authors
Nevena Koukova, Lehigh University, PA, USA
Joydeep Srivastava, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
Volume
AP - Asia-Pacific Advances in Consumer Research Volume 8 | 2009
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