Time to Lift up COVID-19 Restrictions? Public Support towards Living with the Virus Policy and Associated Factors among Hong Kong General Public

The fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented toll on Hong Kong. As more countries are starting to lift COVID-19 restrictions, it would be important to understand the public attitudes towards lifting COVID-19 restrictions and to identify its associated factors. The present stud...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of environmental research and public health 2023-02, Vol.20 (4), p.2989
Main Authors: Mo, Phoenix K H, Yu, Yanqiu, Lau, Mason M C, Ling, Rachel H Y, Lau, Joseph T F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attitudes
China
Cognition & reasoning
Cognitive ability
Confidence
Conspiracy
Constrictions
Coping
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Disease transmission
Emotions
Epidemics
Hong Kong
Mental health
Pandemics
Perceptions
Problem solving
Public health
Public opinion
Quarantine
Restrictions
Social distancing
Viruses
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Summary:The fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented toll on Hong Kong. As more countries are starting to lift COVID-19 restrictions, it would be important to understand the public attitudes towards lifting COVID-19 restrictions and to identify its associated factors. The present study examined the level of support towards the living with the virus (LWV) policy for COVID-19 among the public in Hong Kong and to identify the associations between resilient coping, self-efficacy and emotional distress with support towards the LWV policy. A random population-based telephone survey was conducted among 500 Hong Kong Chinese adults from 7 March to 19 April 2022, i.e., during the fifth wave of COVID-19 outbreak. Of the respondents, 39.6% showed a supportive attitude towards the LWV policy. Results from the structural equational modeling showed a positive correlation between resilient coping and self-efficacy. Resilient coping was associated with support towards the LWV policy directly and indirectly through a lower level of emotional distress. Self-efficacy had a direct association with support towards the LWV policy but its indirect association through emotional distress was not significant. Interventions that foster resilient coping and self-efficacy would be effective in reducing public emotional distress and promoting their positive view towards the LWV policy.
ISSN:1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
DOI:10.3390/ijerph20042989