HMN 2025: How Q&A-style messaging can increase public health engagement and information seeking

A study published in Management Science shows that question-and-answer messaging can significantly increase curiosity, drive topic-specific information seeking and, in some cases, promote healthier behaviors. The research demonstrates that framing information as a question, rather than a direct statement, can meaningfully increase engagement across diverse populations and communication channels.

In an article entitled “Does Q&A Boost Engagement? Health Messaging Experiments in the United States and Ghana,” researchers conducted large-scale field experiments during the COVID-19 pandemic to compare the effects of presenting public health information in Q&A format versus direct statements.

Experiments reveal increased engagement

The research team, which included Erika L. Kirgios of the University of Chicago, Susan Athey of Stanford University, Angela L. Duckworth and Katherine L. Milkman of the University of Pennsylvania, Dean Karlan of Northwestern University, Michael Luca of Johns Hopkins University and Molly Offer-Westort of the University of Chicago, ran controlled experiments with more than 49,000 participants in Ghana and Michigan.

They found that Q&A-style messages led recipients to seek more information about directly related health topics. In Ghana, Q&A messages increased information seeking by 1.0 percentage point (216%), and in Michigan by 1.1 percentage points (19%), compared with direct statements. In Michigan, Q&A messages also increased self-reported adherence to protective health behaviors by 1.3 percentage points (4%).

However, Q&A messaging did not increase interest in broader, more general COVID-19 information, suggesting the effect is strongest when messages and follow-up topics are closely aligned.

“Leaders often assume that making information as easy as possible to access is the best way to increase engagement,” said Kirgios. “But our research shows that introducing a little curiosity—by first asking a question—can increase people’s motivation to learn more.”

Testing Q&A messaging on social media

To further test this idea, the researchers ran an implementation experiment using paid Facebook ads, a channel without opt-out complications. Ads written in Q&A format generated 9%–11% more unique clicks to the CDC website per dollar spent than ads sharing the same facts directly.

“Our results show that curiosity is a powerful driver of engagement,” added Kirgios. “Even though Q&A messages require slightly more effort, adding ‘friction’ to the process, people appear more eager to resolve the ‘information gap’ when a question is posed first.”

Consistent effects across populations and channels

Across the studies, participants received messages about topics such as mask-wearing, staying safe when leaving home and understanding at-risk populations. Despite differences in national context, demographics and communication channels, the effect of Q&A messaging on topic-specific information seeking was consistent across both the United States and Ghana.

For their research, the authors partnered with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and mobile-survey organizations in Ghana. In each experiment, participants were randomly assigned to receive information either as direct statements or in Q&A format, and outcomes were measured over multiple weeks.

“Our findings demonstrate that while reducing friction is often effective, there are circumstances in which small, intentional forms of friction can actually increase engagement—especially when they heighten curiosity,” said Duckworth.

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