Self-Persuasion Increases Motivation for Social Isolation During the COVID-19 Pandemic Through Moral Obligation

Abstract

Limiting social contacts by citizens, i.e. voluntary social isolation is proven to be an effective method of mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic. In this regard, governments across the globe are constantly trying to encourage their citizens to socially isolate by using direct persuasion. However, a more effective method of encouraging behavioural changes is self-persuasion. Hence, using an experimental approach, we compared direct persuasion to self-persuasion on underlying motivations for voluntary social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. We asked the subjects (N = 375) to write three arguments in support of social isolation (self-persuasion condition) or to evaluate three government graphics containing arguments for social isolation (direct persuasion condition). Then we asked the subjects to evaluate perceived own vulnerability to COVID-19, the perceived severity of COVID-19, moral obligation to socially isolate and the attitude toward social isolation. Self-persuasion had a significant impact on the moral obligation to socially isolate, and through it on self-isolation intention. We also found evidence that individuals who perceived greater benefits from social isolation and who perceived higher severity of COVID-19 have a higher intention to socially isolate. Significant sex and age differences also emerged. Our findings provide new insights into mechanisms of self-persuasion and underlying motivations that influence social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings have practical relevance to the mitigation of the pandemic, as knowing that self-persuasion can affect intention toward social isolation through moral obligation, can help effectively encourage people to socially isolate during COVID-19 pandemic.