The Influence Of Personal Narrative Information On Attitudes Towards Syringe Exchange Programs

With the current opioid epidemic in the United States, cities across the United States are increasingly considering Syringe Exchange Programs (SEPs). SEPs allow people to anonymously dispose of used syringes and acquire new, sterile syringes, and have been shown to reduce the incidence of HIV and other diseases. Despite the effectiveness, these programs are often met with resistance. The present project compares two possible methods for changing attitudes about SEP’s: providing statistical information about a program’s effectiveness (e.g., 20% reduction) and providing personal narrative information (e.g., a description of an individual’s experiences) about how a program helped a specific individual. In our study all participants received basic information about SEPs followed by either statistical information, narrative information, or a combination of the two, and then we assessed participants’ attitudes towards using government money to fund a local SEP. Overall, people’s attitudes became more supportive after reading the information. However, the amount of improvement was similar across all three conditions.