From attention to intention: evaluating the effectiveness of Social Media and Website Strategies in the Radon Buster Campaign

This study investigates the effectiveness of different social media communication strategies in promoting radon information-seeking behaviors and intentions to test for radon. Guided by the Elaboration Likelihood Model, the study explores the interaction between the peripheral and the central routes of persuasion in promoting radon protection behaviors across four European countries: Austria, Belgium, Ireland, and Slovenia (N=1,677). The “Radon Buster campaign,” containing Facebook advertisements and a website, was specifically developed for this study. An online survey experiment evaluated the impact of the Facebook advertisements on radon information-seeking intentions and the impact of the website on radon testing intentions. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions (narratives, humor, or norm nudges), or included in a prior-exposure control group, followed by interaction with the website. The results show a direct positive effect of the exposure and appreciation of the posts on information-seeking intentions. However, mixed effects were found regarding the moderation of website appreciation and counterarguing on the effect of the website on the intention to test. Overall, the findings underscore the importance of engaging communication strategies that are designed to evoke both peripheral and central route processing to effectively promote radon awareness and testing behaviors.