Motivating the public to protect themselves: the case of the first lockdown in France[Motiver la population à se protéger : le cas du premier confinement en France]

This research uses the Terror Management Health Model to study the scope and limits of relying on a threat-solution approach in public communication in times of crisis, and to identify levers likely to encourage appropriate behaviors, by analyzing the extreme case of the first lockdown (March - May 2020) in France. A qualitative study was conducted during the first lockdown in France, involving an exploratory phase of observing online conversations followed by 17 semi-structured interviews with citizens. The results highlight that government communication encouraged some people to comply with the confinement, based on a classic public health discourse consisting of raising the threat and providing the solution. However, this approach showed limits and led some individuals to draw on other resources: a sense of shared destiny and a peaceful relationship with death. This research calls into question the long-term effectiveness of an approach based solely on the activation of proximal defenses, and demonstrates the value of activating distal defenses in times of crisis. On a theoretical level, it offers an in-depth understanding of how distal defenses function. At managerial level, it suggests new avenues for action and public crisis communication: after the initial response, communication must empower individuals, be agile and differentiated according to their profiles, and involve local authorities and stakeholders.