Marketing and communications professionals deploying messaging about the pandemic may be missing the mark with the language they're using, as the American public considers some pandemic-related terms more serious, trustworthy or invasive than others.
De Beaumont Foundation conducted a poll of 1,100 registered voters to better understand the language Americans prefer in COVID-19 messaging that deals with behavioral change. Results were released Nov. 30.
Five of the poll's key findings:
- Forty-nine percent of respondents said they consider "pandemic" a "significant, serious and scary" word. Thirty-nine percent of respondents said the same about "COVID-19," and 13 percent said the same about "the coronavirus."
- Respondents had a more positive reaction when policies to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 were referred to as "protocols" rather than "mandates," "directives," "controls" or "orders."
- "Stay-at-home order" elicited more positive reactions from respondents than "lockdown" or "aggressive restrictions."
- Communicating that COVID-19 safety protocols are "fact-based" is more effective than saying they are based on "science," "data" or "medicine."
- More than 4 in 5 respondents preferred the term "face masks" over "facial covering."
How healthcare marketers can use search data to improve strategy, according to economist