Important Safety Information or Important Risk Information? A Question of Framing in Prescription Drug Advertisements

Abstract

The summary of risks in a prescription drug print advertisement is typically headlined either “Important Safety Information” or “Important Risk Information.” Research has shown that words used to frame information can influence interpretation of the information. We examined the impact of headline framing on risk perception among consumers viewing prescription drug ads. Participants (N = 2000) were randomly assigned to see the title “Important Safety Information” or “Important Risk Information” before reading a description of risks for a fictitious drug. Participants then answered questions about the perceived risk of the drug, attempted to recall the section heading, and reported demographic characteristics. Results revealed no differences between participants in the 2 conditions, suggesting that framing drug risk information in terms of its safety or risk does not differentially affect consumer risk perception.