Safer Communities Accelerator Messaging Research
How Gradient helped The Just Trust design persuasive messages to support community-based public safety initiatives
Project Overview
Gradient partnered with The Just Trust to evaluate which message elements are most (and least) persuasive to voters when discussing community-based public safety programs.
1. Develop a messaging playbook: To give grantees specific guidance on how to discuss the goals and impact of Safer Communities Accelerator (SCA) programs.
2. Identify the strongest-performing combinations: To guide persuasive communications using the most effective messenger, problem framing, policy solution, and more.
3. Tailor messages to specific audiences: To understand which combination of message components is most likely to meet voter segments where they are.
- Messaging Drivers
- Importance of the Messenger
- Mindset Messaging
Who delivers the message matters more than what the message says.
The messenger drives over a quarter of a message’s persuasive power—more than any other component. While the problem framing and policy solution are also important, they’re secondary to messenger choice.
Not all messengers are created equal, and some may undercut the message.
Police officers are the most persuasive messengers across the electorate, including for persuadable voters. Other messengers, like doctors, reduce the message’s effectiveness.
To meet voters where they are, tailor messages to match their mindset and avoid frames that could backfire.
Voters in the "Rethink the Police" mindset segment are especially receptive to messages from community health workers that focus on crisis-specific training gaps and promote diversion programs. More punishment-minded voters are drawn to messages featuring police officers and more punitive approaches, suggesting care needs to be taken to avoid unintentionally activating the least aligned audiences.
Research Approach
Survey Development
Gradient conducted an online survey with a representative sample of 1,124 U.S. registered voters in May 2024.
Messaging Component Analysis
Messaging Component Analysis (MCA), powered by a choice-based conjoint, was used to isolate the persuasive power of five message elements: Messenger, Problem, Policy Solution, Law Enforcement Involvement, and Outcome.
Trade-off Experiment
Respondents evaluated randomized message combinations constructed from 20+ levels across five key attributes. Persuasiveness was modeled statistically by estimating the relative importance and favorability of each message component.
Mindset Segmentation Analysis
Mindset segmentation analysis identified four distinct values-based orientations toward criminal justice: Rethink the Police, Work Within the System, High Worry & Low Trust, and Stronger Punishment.
Activation
Supplementary questions gauged voter support for Safer Communities Accelerator programs, willingness to take action, and reasons for inaction to inform activation strategies.
As a result of our messaging components research:
The Just Trust gained a message framework tailored to distinct voter mindsets, identifying messengers and frames that work for each.
In particular, The Just Trust learned that it should be focusing on the messenger, problem framing, and policy solution when it comes to messaging on its Safer Communities Accelerator programs.
Within each of those messaging components, The Just Trust gained clear guidance on how to persuade voters.
With broad public support as a foundation, The Just Trust is using these findings to help grantees move from generalized persuasion to targeted mobilization. The research equips grantees to persuade more effectively and activate key audiences, especially those most willing to speak out, donate, or volunteer.
