Effect of persuasion via social media on attitude toward elite sport policies

We examined the effect of different persuasion interventions in social media (central route vs. peripheral route vs. no persuasion) on attitude toward elite sport policies. We conducted 2 experimental studies with a college student sample (Study I) and a sample drawn from the general public (nonstudent sample, Study II). Results indicated that in the student sample, attitude of the peripheral-route-persuasion group toward elite sport policies was significantly more positive than that of either the no-persuasion group or the central-route-persuasion group. However, results from the nonstudent sample suggested that both the central-route-persuasion and peripheral-route-persuasion groups had more positive attitude toward elite sport policies than did the no-persuasion group. Involvement did not moderate the persuasion–attitude relationship in either the student or nonstudent sample. The findings from this research indicate that a more concise way of communication (peripheral route) is more effective for persuading college students. Government agents may adopt the findings from this research to customize persuasion interventions to influence their target audience effectively.