TY - JOUR
T1 - Bicycling campaigns promoting health versus campaigns promoting safety
T2 - A randomized controlled online study of 'dangerization'
AU - Gamble, Tim
AU - Walker, Ian
AU - Laketa, Aleksandra
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - This study tested the idea that promoting bicycle safety might inadvertently discourage bicycling by having negative effects on how the activity is perceived. It also tested the idea that stressing the health benefits of bicycling would have a positive effect on perceptions and intentions to cycle. Two-hundred and twenty-eight adults were randomly allocated to read safety-focused, health-focused, or control publicity materials and their immediate influences on bicycling perceptions were measured. Health-focused materials significantly increased bicyclings perceived health benefits amongst non-bicyclists and had no influence on perceived risk; the safety-focused campaign had no effect on either perceived risks or health benefits for either group. Neither campaign measurably changed intentions to bicycle nor the perceived enjoyment of bicycling, both of which were clearly higher amongst bicyclists than non-bicyclists. The study suggests that safety-focused campaigns are unlikely to have any immediate effect on peoples perceptions and intentions to cycle, whether positive or negative; health-focused campaigns, on the other hand, make bicycling appear more beneficial to those who do not currently do it. In addition, although the possibility exists that current bicyclists are a qualitatively different sub-population, able to enjoy bicycling in non-conducive environments, their rating bicycling as more enjoyable than non-bicyclists hints that new campaigns might usefully emphasise the enjoyment of bicycling to encourage its uptake.
AB - This study tested the idea that promoting bicycle safety might inadvertently discourage bicycling by having negative effects on how the activity is perceived. It also tested the idea that stressing the health benefits of bicycling would have a positive effect on perceptions and intentions to cycle. Two-hundred and twenty-eight adults were randomly allocated to read safety-focused, health-focused, or control publicity materials and their immediate influences on bicycling perceptions were measured. Health-focused materials significantly increased bicyclings perceived health benefits amongst non-bicyclists and had no influence on perceived risk; the safety-focused campaign had no effect on either perceived risks or health benefits for either group. Neither campaign measurably changed intentions to bicycle nor the perceived enjoyment of bicycling, both of which were clearly higher amongst bicyclists than non-bicyclists. The study suggests that safety-focused campaigns are unlikely to have any immediate effect on peoples perceptions and intentions to cycle, whether positive or negative; health-focused campaigns, on the other hand, make bicycling appear more beneficial to those who do not currently do it. In addition, although the possibility exists that current bicyclists are a qualitatively different sub-population, able to enjoy bicycling in non-conducive environments, their rating bicycling as more enjoyable than non-bicyclists hints that new campaigns might usefully emphasise the enjoyment of bicycling to encourage its uptake.
KW - Bicycling
KW - Cycling
KW - Enjoyment
KW - Health benefits
KW - Public health
KW - Risk perception
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84939563412&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jth.2015.05.007
DO - 10.1016/j.jth.2015.05.007
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84939563412
VL - 2
SP - 369
EP - 378
JO - Journal of Transport and Health
JF - Journal of Transport and Health
SN - 2214-1405
IS - 3
ER -