Behavioral Insights for Better Public Communication in Health Crisis

Alexander Villarraga-Orjuela; Paul Joseph Hasselbrinck Macias; Sandra Rodríguez; María Esperanza Cuenca-Coral; Jana Schmutzler-de Uribe; Alberto Mario De Castro-Correa; Camilo Alberto Madariaga-Orozco; Juan Pablo Ferro-Casas; Luis Zapata; Carolina Mercedes Vecchio-Camargo

doi:10.15446/ede.v33n63.103215

Publicado

2023-11-03

Behavioral Insights for Better Public Communication in Health Crisis

Ideas conductuales para mejorar la comunicación pública en las crisis sanitarias

Ideias comportamentais para melhorar a comunicação pública em crises de saúde

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15446/ede.v33n63.103215

Palabras clave:

Behavioral biases, Crisis communication, COVID-19, Framing, Population targeting, Social norms, Attitudes Scale (en)
Sesgos conductuales, comunicación de crisis, COVID-19, encuadre, población destinataria, normas sociales, escala de actitudes (es)
vieses comportamentais, comunicação de crise, COVID-19, enquadramento, população-alvo, normas sociais, escala de atitude (pt)

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Autores/as

Alexander Villarraga-Orjuela Universidad del Norte https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6752-4288
Paul Joseph Hasselbrinck Macias Universidad del Norte https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3177-3762
Sandra Rodríguez Universidad del Norte https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8770-4400
María Esperanza Cuenca-Coral Universidad del Norte https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6441-6684
Jana Schmutzler-de Uribe Universidad del Norte https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8579-525X
Alberto Mario De Castro-Correa Universidad del Norte https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0789-0806
Camilo Alberto Madariaga-Orozco Universidad del Norte https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7071-0735
Juan Pablo Ferro-Casas Universidad del Norte https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0293-7406
Luis Zapata Universidad del Norte https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3994-4335
Carolina Mercedes Vecchio-Camargo Universidad del Norte https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6783-5446

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, effective public communication became of utmost importance. This is especially true for the time after the easing of lockdowns, which meant an increased emphasis on personal responsibility and adoption of self-care measures. We conducted an experiment that tested three behavioral tools for communication —framing, population targeting, and social norms— to assess behavioral biases that pose a barrier to effective communication efforts and provide useful information for governments to use in crisis situations. In order to measure the effectiveness of the various communication features, we relied on an Attitudes Scale developed and tested for this purpose.

En medio de la pandemia de COVID-19, la comunicación pública efectiva se volvió de suma importancia. Esto es especialmente cierto para el tiempo posterior a la relajación de los bloqueos, lo que significó un mayor énfasis en la responsabilidad personal y la adopción de medidas de autocuidado. Se llevó a cabo un experimento que probó tres herramientas conductuales para la comunicación —encuadre, focalización de mensajes y normas sociales— a fin de evaluar los sesgos conductuales que representan una barrera para los esfuerzos de comunicación efectivos y brindan información útil para que los gobiernos la utilicen en situaciones de crisis. Para evaluar la efectividad de las diversas medidas de comunicación, nos basamos en una escala de actitudes desarrollada y probada para este propósito.

Em meio à pandemia da COVID-19, a comunicação pública eficaz tornou-se fundamental. Isso é especialmente verdadeiro no período após o relaxamento dos bloqueios, o que significou uma maior ênfase na responsabilidade pessoal e na adoção de medidas de autocuidado. Um experimento que testou três ferramentas de comunicação comportamental - enquadramento, direcionamento de mensagens e normas sociais - foi conduzido para avaliar os vieses comportamentais que representam uma barreira aos esforços de comunicação eficazes e fornecer informações úteis para os governos usarem em situações de crise. Para avaliar a eficácia de várias medidas de comunicação, contamos com uma escala de atitude desenvolvida e testada para esse fim.

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Cómo citar

APA

Villarraga-Orjuela , A., Hasselbrinck Macias, P. J., Rodríguez , S., Cuenca-Coral , M. E., Schmutzler-de Uribe , J., De Castro-Correa , A. M., Madariaga-Orozco , C. A., Ferro-Casas , J. P., Zapata , L. y Vecchio-Camargo, C. M. (2023). Behavioral Insights for Better Public Communication in Health Crisis. Ensayos de Economía, 33(63), 117–144. https://doi.org/10.15446/ede.v33n63.103215

ACM

[1]

Villarraga-Orjuela , A., Hasselbrinck Macias, P.J., Rodríguez , S., Cuenca-Coral , M.E., Schmutzler-de Uribe , J., De Castro-Correa , A.M., Madariaga-Orozco , C.A., Ferro-Casas , J.P., Zapata , L. y Vecchio-Camargo, C.M. 2023. Behavioral Insights for Better Public Communication in Health Crisis. Ensayos de Economía. 33, 63 (sep. 2023), 117–144. DOI:https://doi.org/10.15446/ede.v33n63.103215.

ACS

(1)

Villarraga-Orjuela , A.; Hasselbrinck Macias, P. J.; Rodríguez , S.; Cuenca-Coral , M. E.; Schmutzler-de Uribe , J.; De Castro-Correa , A. M.; Madariaga-Orozco , C. A.; Ferro-Casas , J. P.; Zapata , L.; Vecchio-Camargo, C. M. Behavioral Insights for Better Public Communication in Health Crisis. Ens. Econ. 2023, 33, 117-144.

ABNT

VILLARRAGA-ORJUELA , A.; HASSELBRINCK MACIAS, P. J.; RODRÍGUEZ , S.; CUENCA-CORAL , M. E.; SCHMUTZLER-DE URIBE , J.; DE CASTRO-CORREA , A. M.; MADARIAGA-OROZCO , C. A.; FERRO-CASAS , J. P.; ZAPATA , L.; VECCHIO-CAMARGO, C. M. Behavioral Insights for Better Public Communication in Health Crisis. Ensayos de Economía, [S. l.], v. 33, n. 63, p. 117–144, 2023. DOI: 10.15446/ede.v33n63.103215. Disponível em: https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/ede/article/view/103215. Acesso em: 21 abr. 2025.

Chicago

Villarraga-Orjuela , Alexander, Paul Joseph Hasselbrinck Macias, Sandra Rodríguez, María Esperanza Cuenca-Coral, Jana Schmutzler-de Uribe, Alberto Mario De Castro-Correa, Camilo Alberto Madariaga-Orozco, Juan Pablo Ferro-Casas, Luis Zapata, y Carolina Mercedes Vecchio-Camargo. 2023. «Behavioral Insights for Better Public Communication in Health Crisis». Ensayos De Economía 33 (63):117-44. https://doi.org/10.15446/ede.v33n63.103215.

Harvard

Villarraga-Orjuela , A., Hasselbrinck Macias, P. J., Rodríguez , S., Cuenca-Coral , M. E., Schmutzler-de Uribe , J., De Castro-Correa , A. M., Madariaga-Orozco , C. A., Ferro-Casas , J. P., Zapata , L. y Vecchio-Camargo, C. M. (2023) «Behavioral Insights for Better Public Communication in Health Crisis», Ensayos de Economía, 33(63), pp. 117–144. doi: 10.15446/ede.v33n63.103215.

IEEE

[1]

A. Villarraga-Orjuela, «Behavioral Insights for Better Public Communication in Health Crisis», Ens. Econ., vol. 33, n.º 63, pp. 117–144, sep. 2023.

MLA

Villarraga-Orjuela , A., P. J. Hasselbrinck Macias, S. Rodríguez, M. E. Cuenca-Coral, J. Schmutzler-de Uribe, A. M. De Castro-Correa, C. A. Madariaga-Orozco, J. P. Ferro-Casas, L. Zapata, y C. M. Vecchio-Camargo. «Behavioral Insights for Better Public Communication in Health Crisis». Ensayos de Economía, vol. 33, n.º 63, septiembre de 2023, pp. 117-44, doi:10.15446/ede.v33n63.103215.

Turabian

Villarraga-Orjuela , Alexander, Paul Joseph Hasselbrinck Macias, Sandra Rodríguez, María Esperanza Cuenca-Coral, Jana Schmutzler-de Uribe, Alberto Mario De Castro-Correa, Camilo Alberto Madariaga-Orozco, Juan Pablo Ferro-Casas, Luis Zapata, y Carolina Mercedes Vecchio-Camargo. «Behavioral Insights for Better Public Communication in Health Crisis». Ensayos de Economía 33, no. 63 (septiembre 12, 2023): 117–144. Accedido abril 21, 2025. https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/ede/article/view/103215.

Vancouver

1.

Villarraga-Orjuela A, Hasselbrinck Macias PJ, Rodríguez S, Cuenca-Coral ME, Schmutzler-de Uribe J, De Castro-Correa AM, Madariaga-Orozco CA, Ferro-Casas JP, Zapata L, Vecchio-Camargo CM. Behavioral Insights for Better Public Communication in Health Crisis. Ens. Econ. [Internet]. 12 de septiembre de 2023 [citado 21 de abril de 2025];33(63):117-44. Disponible en: https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/ede/article/view/103215