TY - JOUR
AU - Evensen, Darrick
AU - Warren, George
AU - Bouder, Frederic
PY - 2023
DA - March
TI - Satisfaction with governmental risk communication both increases and decreases COVID-19 mitigation behaviours
JO - International Journal of Public Health
VL - 68
DO - https://doi.org/10.3389/ijph.2023.1604966
AB - Objectives: Over three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, and intense societal and governmental response, a wealth of research has examined risk perceptions and public risk mitigation behaviours. The vast majority of this inquiry has focused on health risks. Nevertheless, as a ‘total social fact’ influencing nearly every aspect of quotidian life, the pandemic engenders a wide range of risk perceptions. Methods: Via a survey (N=4,206) of representative samples of the general public in five European countries (Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, UK), we explore perceptions of a range of personal/public health, economic, and societal risks. We also investigate the effects of perceptions of official governmental risk communication in one’s country on risk perceptions and risk mitigation behaviours. Results: Structural equation modelling reveals that whilst perceptions of effective risk communication directly increase behaviours that mitigate COVID-19 health risks, these same perceptions indirectly decrease behaviour frequency via a mediated relationship with societal risk perceptions. Conclusion: The findings highlight the import of governmental authorities analysing and communicating about the range of risk perceptions citizens might have about a ‘total social fact’ such as COVID-19.
PB - Frontiers Media
UR - https://www.research.ed.ac.uk/en/publications/daf9a66c-5e2e-499d-a64c-ff1ff37e3e28
KW - Coronavirus (COVID-19)
ER