Estimating the Relationships among COVID-19 Pandemic Information Channel Use, Risk Perception, and Behavioral Response : A Comparison of Personal and Collective Perceptions

Abstract Background Understanding how people perceive the risk of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak and its impact on undertaking protective behavior can guide the public health policymakers in taking the required measures to limit the magnitude of this outbreak. This study aimed to understand the risk perception and the behavioral response of the university academics and students towards the COVID-19. Methods A self-administered online survey was conducted among the academic staff and university students in Iraqi Kurdistan Region. The survey questionnaire included eight main questions about the main aspects of personal risk perception and behavioral response to COVID-19 based on a five or nine-point ordinal scale. The eight questions included the number of contacts, the perceived threat level of COVID-19, personal risk perception, ability to avoid infection, frequency of undertaking the protective measures, adherence to the curfew, the negative impact of COVID-19 on life, and sources of obtaining information. Results A total of 976 individuals participated in the study with a mean age ± SD of 25.8±9.7 years. The respondents had the highest perceived threat level towards COVID-19 (mean score = 2.79) in comparison to other medical threats. Around 62% of respondents had no contacts outside their homes. A high percentage of the respondents perceived their risk of getting infection, serious illness, and death as highly unlikely (26.9%, 29.7%, and 41.7%, respectively). The percentage of the respondents who applied these measures frequently or always was high for most of the behaviors, except for wearing masks, wearing gloves, and avoiding touching face. There was a significant ( P <0.001) weak positive correlation between risk perception with protective behaviors; overall risk (beta = 0.080, r=0.189), risk of getting infection (beta=0.066, r=0.179), risk of getting serious illness (beta=0.070, r=0.176) and risk of death (beta=0.058, r=0.154). Conclusion The perceived risk of getting infection with COVID-19 is relatively low. The respondents follow protective behavior measures reasonably. However, the frequency of undertaking some important protective behaviors is relatively low. The risk perception of COVID-19 has a weakly positive impact on following protective behavior. Changing behavior remains a challenge even for the well educated and well aware people.

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An Empirical Study on the Influence Path of Environmental Risk Perception on Behavioral Responses In China

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16162856 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (16) ◽

pp. 2856 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Shan Gao ◽

Weimin Li ◽

Shuang Ling ◽

Xin Dou ◽

Xiaozhou Liu

Keyword(s):

Risk Perception ◽

Environmental Risk ◽

Environmental Governance ◽

Media Use ◽

Behavioral Responses ◽

Environmental Knowledge ◽

Information Channel ◽

Cognitive Evaluation ◽

Environmental Risk Perception ◽

Interpersonal Network

In recent years, the outbreak of numerous environmental risk incidents aroused widespread public concern about the amplification mechanism of environmental risk in China. However, few studies have investigated the influence path of environmental risk perception on behavioral responses in Chinese context from a micro perspective. In this article, we develop a multidimensional path model from environmental risk perception to behavioral responses, which aims to investigate how the public’s environmental risk perception influence its different behavioral responses, including environmental radical behavior, environmental concern behavior and environmental protection behavior. A survey data from Chinese General Social Survey 2013 (CGSS2013), was used to test the model, including questions related to information channel (e.g., media use, interpersonal network), cognitive evaluation (e.g., environmental value, public’s evaluation of environmental governance) and environmental knowledge. The results indicate that both information channel factors and cognitive evaluation factors can significantly influence the progress that from environmental risk perception to behavioral responses, of which both media use and environmental value play the amplification role in the transform process, while interpersonal network and public’s evaluation of environmental governance would inhibit public’s risk perception transforming into environmental behavior. Besides, environmental knowledge displays a key bridge role between information channel factors and cognitive evaluation factors. This research findings also demonstrated the evolution paths of three environmental behaviors under the same level of risk perception, namely, risk transformation and diffusion, risk perception enhancement and risk attenuation respectively.

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