Wiki surveys offer real-time message testing

Guidance can change rapidly during a public health emergency. During emergencies, messages need to be developed, tested, and distributed quickly. Effective and accurate messaging is critical; however, traditional message testing can take months. Researchers from the Pennsylvania CEAL team studied how wiki surveys can meet this need. Wiki surveys allow participants to respond in real time and see survey results as they are collected. This approach also allows updated messages to be tested frequently as behaviors change during a public health emergency.

“The study establishes the feasibility and advantages of using wiki surveys for rapid message testing, especially when time and resources for formative research may be limited.” Scientific Reports, August 2024

Researchers from the Pennsylvania CEAL team surveyed a cross-section of adults who lived or worked in Philadelphia from January to March 2023. Participants were given two messages and asked which was most helpful. They could also respond that they couldn’t decide and write their own message instead. Rapid message testing and evaluation indicated that messages written by the participants scored the highest. Messages promoting the importance of building community protection against serious illness, protecting your health, and protecting the health of your community scored the highest.

Authors of this study suggest that additional research might test the comparative effectiveness of higher- versus lower-ranked messages and participant- versus researcher-generated messages at increasing beneficial health behaviors.

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