Likelihood to follow health messaging rules
| Message type | Stimuli and variations | 3+ doses | Offered but not received | Vaccine sceptics |
| Personal responsibility and self-efficacy (modality) | (a) You should wear a face covering […] | 80% | 66% | 56% |
| (b) You must wear a face covering […] | 73% | 33% | 35% | |
| Personal responsibility and self-efficacy (exclusivity) | (a) Stopping the spread starts with you. | 84% | 57% | 46% |
| (b) Stopping the spread starts with all of us. | 74% | 30% | 32% | |
| Threat and fear appeals: modality | (a) If you go out, you can spread it, people will die. | 80% | 62% | 50% |
| (b) If you go out, you can spread it, people could die. | 74% | 35% | 34% | |
| Threat and fear appeals: proximity | (a) Stay at home. For your family. For your friends. | 80% | 50% | 41% |
| (b) Stay at home. For your neighbours. For our NHS. | 75% | 26% | 31% | |
| Threat and fear appeals: social consequences | (a) […] Don’t put your family and friends in danger. | 78% | 50% | 49% |
| (b) […] Don’t put yourself in danger. | 77% | 43% | 37% | |
| Moralising messages | (a) […] You should wear a face covering […] | 76% | 48% | 46% |
| (b) […] You must wear a face covering […] | 80% | 37% | 35% | |
| Framing (positive vs negative) | (a) You should only be going shopping for essentials […] | 80% | 63% | 45% |
| (b) You should not be going shopping except for essentials […] | 74% | 39% | 39% | |
| Grammatical mood (declarative vs imperative) | (a) […] Staying at home saves lives. | 79% | 38% | 41% |
| (b) […] Stay at home save lives. | 73% | 29% | 42% |
‘How likely or unlikely would you be to follow the guidance in this public health message if such measures were re-introduced as a result of a new COVID-19 variant?’ Reported figures are those who selected ‘extremely likely’, ‘very likely’ or ‘fairly likely’ (NET likely). Base: all adults aged 16–75 years in Great Britain (1089) among whom have received 3+ COVID-19 vaccine doses (sample A: 371, sample B: 390), or have been offered but not received the COVID-19 vaccine (sample A: 37, sample B: 37), or who have been defined as ‘vaccine sceptics’ (sample A: 46, sample B: 50). Survey taken from 1 to 3 March 2022.
NHS, National Health Service.