Beyond the Individual: The Effectiveness of Nation-Focused Gain-Loss Framing in Smoking Cessation Persuasion

Framing research in health persuasion, predominantly grounded in Western individualist cultures, has largely examined gain-loss messages that target benefits to the self or close others. Whether this individual-centric paradigm fully captures the persuasive logic of smoking cessation messages in the collectivist cultural contexts remains an open question. This study introduces and tests a nation-benefit gain-loss framing in China. We conducted a 2 (gain-loss framing: gain vs. loss) × 3 (beneficiary focus: self, other, nation) between-subjects experiment with adult smokers in China (N = 727). Results showed that nation-benefit messages produced significantly higher intentions to quit than self- or other-benefit messages. Perceived national benefit mediated the relationship between nation-benefit framing and quit intentions. Furthermore, this relationship was moderated by nationalism, such that the positive influence of perceived national benefit on quit intentions was stronger among individuals with higher levels of nationalism. This research contributes to health communication theory by demonstrating that in collectivist contexts, appealing to a higher-order collective good can be a potent persuasive strategy. Our findings extend framing research beyond predominantly self- and other-benefit approaches and offer evidence-based implications for anti-tobacco communication in China, and potentially in other settings where nation-benefit appeals are culturally resonant.