Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-2026
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-5973.70213
Abstract
The Warning-Response Model recommends the inclusion of five key content areas in warning messages to reduce information seeking that can lead to warning response delay: the message source, hazard (including its impact), affected location, recommended guidance, and time. Research has found that complete messages, that is, those that include all of five recommended content areas, help people make decisions about the protective actions they may take. Unfortunately, a large majority of WEA messages omit information from one or more of the recommended content areas. This study examined the impact of omitting each of the five recommended content areas on message outcomes from the Warning-Response Model (understanding, believing, personalizing, and deciding), self-efficacy, response efficacy, information seeking, and organizational trust. To this end, we conducted a 2x7 experiment with two hazard types (wildfire and chemical release), and we compared a complete message containing all five message elements (control) to messages that were missing either the message source, hazard name (plus hazard impact statement), location, time, or guidance to determine the effect of the missing content on WRM and other message outcomes. Findings indicate that the omission of different types of content affects message outcomes in different ways for different hazards, shedding on a hierarchy of content functions within theories of warning communication. effective messaging strategies. This is the first study that has focused entirely on examining which content areas are the most critical drivers of W-RM outcomes across multiple hazard types.
Recommended Citation
Sutton, Jeannette, "Content Mapping: An Experimental Analysis of Missing Message Content" (2026). Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security, and Cybersecurity Faculty Scholarship. 22.
https://scholarsarchive.library.albany.edu/ehc_fac_scholar/22
Comments
This is the author's accepted manuscript. The version of record may be found at: Sutton, J, Walpole, H., Olson, M., Cain, L.B., Wood, M. M. (2026) Content Mapping: An Experimental Analysis of Missing Message Content. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management. Published online August 5, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-5973.70213Digital Object Identifier (DOI)