Examining the Link Between Information Processing and Preventive Behavior in the Risk Information-Seeking and Processing (RISP) Model: A Panel Study

The Risk Information-Seeking and Processing (RISP) model postulates that individuals who process risk information systematically are likely to hold stronger attitudes toward preventive behavior than those who process information heuristically. Therefore, individuals’ attitudes toward risk preventive behavior developed or changed through systematic processing are likely to be more persistent over time than those whose attitudes are based on heuristic processing. To examine this proposition, we conducted to a two-wave panel study in Hong Kong during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings supported the proposition that processing influenced attitude strength, which influenced individuals’ attitude toward behavior a year later. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.