Bangor Team Wins Large Covid-19 Grant

Bangor Team Wins Large Covid-19 Grant 

A multidisciplinary team from Bangor University has been successful in its bid to the UKRI Ideas Address COVID-19 scheme. 

It will explore the influence of media messaging in determining people’s mask-wearing choices during the pandemic. 

Titled Between environmental concerns and compliance: How does media messaging affect motivation and choice between disposable versus reusable facemasks? the grant from the Arts and Humanities Research Council is worth over £400,000. 

It was awarded to explore the complex factors underpinning consumer choice of masks and the adoption or rejection of facemask wearing, including responsible disposal of masks. 

The overarching aim of the twelve-month project is to better understand current facemask wearing behaviour as influenced by the media to improve uptake and enhance the effectiveness of media campaigns for the future, specifically considering environmental issues. 

It will employ multi-disciplinary methods to evaluate negative and positive messaging around mask-wearing and motivation, and sustainable choices within the facemask wearing arena. 

The team, led by Principal Investigator, Prof. Nathan Abrams (Media), comprises six academics from the university, including Professor Louise Hassan (BBS), Dr. Tara Smith (Law), Dr. Morwenna Spear (Biocomposites), Professor Thora Tenbrink (Linguistics) and Prof. Simon Willcock (Natural Sciences). 

Prof. Nathan Abrams, the PI said, “This is an exciting opportunity and I’m very much looking forward to leading this team.”  

Prof. Louise Hassan added, “It’s really great to be involved in this project which came about because of a meeting of interested researchers regarding plastic and waste.  I’m very much looking forward to understanding consumer behaviour and working and learning from my colleagues. “ 

Publication date: 28 June 2021