Specificity vs. Inclusivity in Blood Donor Appeals Among Ethnic Minority Communities: The Risks of ‘Othering’

Objectives: Encouraging blood donation from ethnic minorities improves patient care, especially for conditions like sickle cell disease (SCD). Campaigns can be specific (highlighting SCD’s prevalence in Black communities) or inclusive (emphasising shared responsibility). This study evaluates the relative efficacy of specific vs. inclusive campaigns to encourage Black blood donors in the UK. Methods: A 2x2x2 online experiment (N=1,745; 718 Black, 1,027 Non-Black) varied campaign focus (specific vs. non-specific), inclusivity (inclusive vs. non-inclusive), and medium (contextualised vs. not). Participants saw one of four messages (baseline, specific, inclusive, mixed) and reported willingness to donate, perceived othering, and affect. Awareness of the need for well-matched blood was assessed as a moderator. Results: Relative to baseline, specific and mixed messages significantly increased campaign response, but specific also increased perceived othering among Black participants. Among Non-Black participants, specific messages decreased campaign response relative to inclusive ones and elicited more othering. Mediation analysis confirmed that perceived othering reduces campaign response. Awareness of the need for well-matched blood moderated these effects: participants aware of matching needs reported less othering and more positive reactions to specific messages. Conclusions: Specific campaigns can be effective, especially for Black audiences, but risk fostering perceived othering. Raising awareness of medical need mitigates these effects. To balance efficacy with inclusivity, campaigns should consider combining specific and inclusive messages alongside efforts to increase awareness. Findings generalise to other health contexts requiring demographically targeted messaging. Keywords: Blood donation, Ethnic minorities, Othering, Specificity vs. Inclusivity, Healthcare, Recruitment, Inequality