Framing air quality index information: Impact on risk perception and precaution intention

Air Quality Index (AQI) is an important tool for governments to inform the public about air quality and recommend countermeasures. The frames of AQI information may play a role in shaping audiences’ risk perception. An online experiment with a 2 (descriptor: neutral vs. negatively valenced) X 3 (warning message: emphasis on at-risk groups vs. targeting general population vs. none) factorial design was conducted. The results indicated that AQI information with neutral descriptors was associated with lower levels of self-risk perception than with negatively valenced ones. Among the individuals who were not included in those groups, those who read the warning messages that emphasized at-risk groups perceived less risk than those who read messages targeting general population. People received no warning message showed more optimistic bias than those who read messages targeting the general population. Besides, an interaction effect between descriptor and warning message emerged as the participants who read a neutral descriptor and warning message emphasizing at-risk group perceived the lowest level of risk for themselves. Last, self-risk perception, optimistic bias and knowledge to smog predicted the outcome of precaution intention positively. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.