Message Framing and Causal Attributions Shape Public Reactions to Parkinson’s Disease: Evidence from China and the United States

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a visible and stigmatized condition that is often misunderstood by the public. Drawing on attribution theory and cross-cultural health communication, we investigated how causal explanations for PD (biological vs. environmental risk factors) and message framing (individual-focused vs. group-focused) shape emotional and behavioral responses across two cultural contexts. In Study 1 (N = 260), Chinese participants read vignettes describing either an individual with PD or a broader population affected by PD and reported their sympathy, anger, willingness to help, and donation intentions. In Study 2 (N = 168), a parallel experiment was conducted with U.S. participants. Across both studies, biological explanations elicited greater sympathy and generally stronger supportive responses than environmental-risk explanations. Consistent with our predictions, individual-focused messages generally produced stronger responses among U.S. participants, whereas group-focused messages tended to produce stronger responses among Chinese participants. These findings highlight the importance of attribution-sensitive and culturally informed communication strategies for reducing stigma and promoting support for people living with PD.