Exploring pro-social and pro-environmental preferences: evidence from a survey experiment on shifting behaviors

This study investigates pro-social and pro-environmental preferences through a survey experiment that examines behavioral shifts from single-use medical masks to reusable fabric masks among healthy individuals. Drawing on goal-framing theory, we evaluate the impact of the WHO’s recommendation alongside two additional informational interventions encouraging the use of fabric masks over medical-grade alternatives. Using an add-on experimental design, participants were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups, with baseline responses serving as a reference group. A final sample of 441 respondents completed the baseline survey and were subsequently exposed to one of the interventions. The findings indicate that the WHO’s recommendation alone is highly effective: individuals WHO received this message were nearly ten times more likely to choose a fabric mask compared to their baseline preference before the intervention. While the message emphasizing the prioritization of medical masks for healthcare workers had no significant effect, the environmental framing led to a meaningful behavioral shift, increasing the likelihood of choosing fabric masks by approximately 2.4 times. These results underscore the value of integrating pro-environmental messaging into public health communication and suggest that sustainable consumption can be promoted as a dual strategy to protect both public health and the environment during global health crises.