Consumer Receptivity to Social Marketing Information: The Role of Self-Rated Knowledge and Knowledge Accuracy

摘要: Prior knowledge has been shown to impact information search and processing in traditional product and service contexts. We examine the impact of two types of prior knowledge, subjective knowledge and self-rated knowledge, on information receptivity in a critical social marketing realm—AIDS. Potential consequences of public misinformation regarding HIV transmission are dramatic, and become more likely as scientific findings evolve.We find that subjective knowledge accuracy is positively related to topic receptivity, and self-rated knowledge is inversely related to message receptivity. The two types of knowledge exhibit a low correlation, indicating that some subjects may think they know more than they actually do regarding HIV transmission. Involvement with the AIDS issue was positively related to both types of information receptivity. Social marketers and policy makers must consider the factors that influence …