Stay Healthy for Your (Our) Community: Examining How Source Identity Affects Black Americans’ Responses to Targeted COVID-19 Messages

Abstract

Many communications during the pandemic emphasized COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on Black Americans. Articles highlighting such racial health disparities can act as a form of health information targeting , which can be threatening when aimed at marginalized identities. In Study 1, Black participants indicated a greater level of anger and distrust when reading a targeted article from a White male doctor, focusing on racial health disparities during the pandemic, compared to a non-targeted article. Source distrust was associated with decreased message persuasiveness and intentions to engage in safety behaviors. Moreover, a Black male doctor was generally more persuasive, mitigating the adverse effects of message targeting on source trust. Replicating these findings in Study 2, a Black male doctor/source was more persuasive than a White female doctor among Black women participants. Interestingly, perceptions of source bias and expertise showed a different pattern than trust, demonstrating the distinct link between distrust, targeted messaging, and threat.