Summary

Two humorous creator-produced videos by moms were highly successful at persuading white moderates and conservatives that gas stoves are harmful and that the Inflation Reduction Act can help make the transition to electric appliances more affordable. The videos had a limited effect on convincing people to switch out their own stoves.

Study Design

A sample of 1200 U.S. white adults who self-identify as moderates and conservatives completed the study in April 2023. Participants were randomly assigned to view one of two microvideos developed by white mom creators or an unrelated placebo video. All participants then completed a series of items assessing favorability toward gas stoves:

1) Gas-powered appliances are a health danger to my family.

2) I am interested in switching to electric appliances in my home.

3) The Inflation Reduction Act makes switching to electric appliances more affordable.

Key Findings

• Creator-produced videos persuaded white moderates and conservatives that gas stoves can pose health harms to their families (23-24% increase in agreement).

• Videos also persuaded white moderates and conservatives that the Inflation Reduction Act makes the transition to electric appliances more affordable.
• Mom creators are successful messengers for audiences beyond women and parents – and may be more persuasive for these other audiences. This may be because parents already had higher levels of agreement that gas stoves were a health danger to their family.