Satisfaction With Governmental Risk Communication Both Increases and Decreases COVID-19 Mitigation Behaviours

• Published in: International journal of public health 2023-03, Vol.68, p.1604966
• Main Authors: Evensen, Darrick, Warren, George, Bouder, Frederic
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Communication; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 - prevention & control; COVID-19 testing; Europe; Europe - epidemiology; Humans; Pandemics - prevention & control; Personal Satisfaction; Public Health Archive; risk communication; risk perception; social distance; structural equation modelling
• ISSN: 1661-8564; 1661-8556; 1661-8564
• DOI: 10.3389/ijph.2023.1604966

Over 3 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. a survey (N = 4,206) of representative samples of the general public in five European countries (Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom), 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. 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 a mediated relationship with societal risk perceptions. 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.