Concerned, responsible and guilty? Testing a model of guilt arousal and effects in environmental campaigns

Guilt has been identified as a crucial factor mediating the effects of social campaigns, for instance, on charity giving. So far, however, knowledge regarding the process of guilt arousal is limited. Who is especially susceptible to guilt arousal and how does guilt influence campaign effects? This paper studies processes of guilt arousal and effects through exposure to environmental campaigns. Following the Extended Parallel Process Model, environmental involvement and efficacy are introduced as main predictors. The proposed model is tested by a stimulus driven survey (N = 201). The results show that guilt arousal reinforces persuasive effects when prior concern is high. While efficacy predicts donation intention, it is not a premise of guilt arousal. The main implication is that guilt arousal enhances campaign effects for those with a high involvement but is the wrong strategy to reach those with a low involvement prior to exposure.