This study investigated the effects of cultural value appeals in health persuasion. Situated in the COVID-19 pandemic, this study examined if and how individualistic and collectivistic message frames can improve attitudes and behaviors related to the use of face masks among European Americans and Asian Americans. This study was a 2 (message frame: individualistic versus collectivistic) × 2 (audience ethnicity: European versus Asian American) between-subjects pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design. Results showed that for European Americans, collectivistic versus individualistic appeals were more effective to improve attitudes and behavioral intention. For Asian Americans, both individualistic and collectivistic appeals predicted significant changes in attitudinal and behavioral outcomes, but individualistic appeals resulted in greater behavioral change than collectivistic appeals. While the mechanisms through which cultural value appeals had impacts on Asian Americans remained unclear, perceived message relevance and counter-arguing were significant mediators explaining the effects of message frames on behavioral outcomes for European Americans.
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