Perceptions of COVID-19 around the World
2020
This study evaluates public risk perception of COVID-19 around the world in ten countries across Europe, America, and Asia. They found that significant predictors of risk perception included personal experience with the virus, individualistic and prosocial values, hearing about the virus from friends and family, trust in government, science, and medical professionals, personal knowledge of government strategy, and personal and collective efficacy.
Although there was substantial variability across cultures, individualistic worldviews, personal experience, prosocial values, and social amplification through friends and family in particular were found to be significant determinants in more than half of the countries examined. As expected, risk perception correlated significantly with people reporting the use of preventative health behaviors in all ten countries. The authors discuss the implications for effective risk communication.
Perceptions of COVID-19 around the World
Source:
Dryhurst S, Schneider CR, Kerr J et al. Perceptions of COVID-19 around the World. Journal of Risk Research 2020; 23: 994-1006. https://doi.org/10.1080/13669877.2020.1758193