Usage of fear appeal for persuasive communication: Case of the Ministry of Health’s public service announcements

This study investigates the use of fear appeals as a persuasive communication method in public service announcements supported by the Ministry of Health from 2006 to 2016. A sample of public service announcements was analyzed through content analysis based on topics, types of fear elements, persuasive techniques, and whether solutions were provided. The results indicate that both rational and emotional appeals were used, with fear appeals mainly appearing in emotionally driven messages, especially in situations involving direct health threats. Conversely, rational appeals were more common in informational or promotional PSAs.