scholarly journals Analysis of Public Perception of the Israeli Government’s Early Emergency Instructions Regarding COVID-19: Online Survey Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anat Gesser-Edelsburg ◽  
Ricky Cohen ◽  
Rana Hijazi ◽  
Nour Abed Elhadi Shahbari
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perception ◽  
Crisis Management ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Threat Perception ◽  
Ministry Of Health ◽  
The Public ◽  
Economic Threat ◽  
Source Of Information ◽  
Credible Source ◽  
Overall Risk

BACKGROUND On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to be a pandemic. This posed challenges to many countries, prominent among which is communication with the public to gain their cooperation. Israel faces different challenges from other countries in its management of the COVID-19 crisis because it is in the midst of a deep constitutional crisis. OBJECTIVE The objective of this paper was to examine the response of the Israeli public to the government’s emergency instructions regarding the pandemic in terms of correlations between overall risk perception and crisis management; overall risk perception and economic threat perception; crisis management and compliance with behavioral guidelines; and crisis management and economic threat perception. We also made comparisons between crisis management and spokesperson credibility and between crisis management and the credibility of information sources. METHODS The sample was established using an online survey that enabled rapid and effective distribution of an online questionnaire during the COVID-19 crisis. The self-selection online survey method of nonprobability sampling was used to recruit participants (N=1056) through social network posts asking the general public (aged ≥18 years) to answer the survey. RESULTS Participants aged ≥65 years perceived higher personal risk compared to those aged 18-30 years (mean difference 0.33, 95% CI 0.04-0.61) and those aged 46-64 years (mean difference 0.38, 95% CI 0.12-0.64). Significant correlations were found between overall risk perception and attitudes toward crisis management (<i>r</i>=0.19, <i>P</i>&lt;.001), overall risk perception and economic threat perception (<i>r</i>=0.22, <i>P</i>&lt;.001), attitudes toward crisis management and compliance with behavioral guidelines (<i>r</i>=0.15, <i>P</i>&lt;.001), and attitudes toward crisis management and economic threat perception (<i>r</i>=–0.15, <i>P</i>&lt;.001). Participants who perceived that the prime minister was the most credible spokesperson evaluated the crisis management significantly higher than all other groups. The crisis management was evaluated significantly lower by participants who stated that infectious disease specialists were the most credible spokespersons. Participants for whom the Ministry of Health website was the most credible source of information evaluated the crisis management higher than all other groups. Participants for whom scientific articles were the most credible source of information evaluated the crisis management lower than those who perceived that the WHO/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention websites or Ministry of Health/hospital websites and health care workers were the most credible. CONCLUSIONS The higher the public trust and evaluation of crisis management, the greater the compliance of the public with guidelines. It was also found that crisis management and information cannot be approached in the same way for the overall public. Furthermore, unlike other epidemics, the COVID-19 crisis has widespread economic and social consequences; therefore, it is impossible to focus only on health risks without communicating economic and social risks as well.

scholarly journals Analysis of Public Perception of the Israeli Government’s Early Emergency Instructions Regarding COVID-19: Online Survey Study

10.2196/19370 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. e19370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anat Gesser-Edelsburg ◽  
Ricky Cohen ◽  
Rana Hijazi ◽  
Nour Abed Elhadi Shahbari
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perception ◽  
Crisis Management ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Threat Perception ◽  
Ministry Of Health ◽  
The Public ◽  
Economic Threat ◽  
Source Of Information ◽  
Credible Source ◽  
Overall Risk

Background On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to be a pandemic. This posed challenges to many countries, prominent among which is communication with the public to gain their cooperation. Israel faces different challenges from other countries in its management of the COVID-19 crisis because it is in the midst of a deep constitutional crisis. Objective The objective of this paper was to examine the response of the Israeli public to the government’s emergency instructions regarding the pandemic in terms of correlations between overall risk perception and crisis management; overall risk perception and economic threat perception; crisis management and compliance with behavioral guidelines; and crisis management and economic threat perception. We also made comparisons between crisis management and spokesperson credibility and between crisis management and the credibility of information sources. Methods The sample was established using an online survey that enabled rapid and effective distribution of an online questionnaire during the COVID-19 crisis. The self-selection online survey method of nonprobability sampling was used to recruit participants (N=1056) through social network posts asking the general public (aged ≥18 years) to answer the survey. Results Participants aged ≥65 years perceived higher personal risk compared to those aged 18-30 years (mean difference 0.33, 95% CI 0.04-0.61) and those aged 46-64 years (mean difference 0.38, 95% CI 0.12-0.64). Significant correlations were found between overall risk perception and attitudes toward crisis management (r=0.19, P<.001), overall risk perception and economic threat perception (r=0.22, P<.001), attitudes toward crisis management and compliance with behavioral guidelines (r=0.15, P<.001), and attitudes toward crisis management and economic threat perception (r=–0.15, P<.001). Participants who perceived that the prime minister was the most credible spokesperson evaluated the crisis management significantly higher than all other groups. The crisis management was evaluated significantly lower by participants who stated that infectious disease specialists were the most credible spokespersons. Participants for whom the Ministry of Health website was the most credible source of information evaluated the crisis management higher than all other groups. Participants for whom scientific articles were the most credible source of information evaluated the crisis management lower than those who perceived that the WHO/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention websites or Ministry of Health/hospital websites and health care workers were the most credible. Conclusions The higher the public trust and evaluation of crisis management, the greater the compliance of the public with guidelines. It was also found that crisis management and information cannot be approached in the same way for the overall public. Furthermore, unlike other epidemics, the COVID-19 crisis has widespread economic and social consequences; therefore, it is impossible to focus only on health risks without communicating economic and social risks as well.

scholarly journals Not all world leaders use Twitter in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: impact of the way of Angela Merkel on psychological distress, behaviour and risk perception

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 644-646 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Teufel ◽  
Adam Schweda ◽  
Nora Dörrie ◽  
Venja Musche ◽  
Madeleine Hetkamp ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Risk Perception ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Political Influence ◽  
German Population ◽  
The Public ◽  
Angela Merkel ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Anxiety Depression

Abstract At a time of growing governmental restrictions and ‘physical distancing’ in order to decelerate the spread of COVID-19, psychological challenges are increasing. Social media plays an important role in maintaining social contact as well as exerting political influence. World leaders use it not only to keep citizens informed but also to boost morale and manage people’s fears. However, some leaders do not follow this approach; an example is the German Chancellor. In a large online survey, we aimed to determine levels of COVID-19 fear, generalized anxiety, depression, safety behaviour, trust in government and risk perception in Germany. A total of 12 244 respondents participated during the period of restraint and the public shutdown in March 2020. Concurrent with the German Chancellor’s speech, a reduction of anxiety and depression was noticeable in the German population. It appears that, in addition to using social media platforms like Twitter, different—and sometimes more conservative—channels for providing information can also be effective.

scholarly journals Knowledge and Perceptions of Non-Nutritive Sweeteners Within the UK Adult Population

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 444
Author(s):  
Grace Farhat ◽  
Fleur Dewison ◽  
Leo Stevenson
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perception ◽  
Weight Status ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Information Dissemination ◽  
Diabetes Management ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Population Sample ◽  
The Public ◽  
Body Weight Status ◽  
The Impact

Non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) are popular sugar substitutes that can help in weight and diabetes management, but concerns regarding their use have been raised by the public. This study aimed to investigate knowledge, benefits and safety perceptions of NNS in a sample of UK adults. The impact of knowledge dissemination on the change in perceptions was also examined. An online survey was distributed through social media platforms and UK Universities and was completed by 1589 participants aged 18 years and above. Results showed a high-risk perception of NNS and a lack of knowledge in regulations in nearly half the population sample. The artificial attributes of NNS further limited their acceptance. Risk perception has been significantly linked to a lower consumption of sweeteners (p < 0.001) and was affected by gender, occupation, education levels, age and body weight status. Information dissemination significantly reduced risk perception and increased awareness of the benefits of NNS. Results suggest that developing effective communication strategies to educate consumers, potentially through trusted health government agencies and professional bodies, can help them to make informed choices. Education of health professionals could also be valuable in reassuring the public of the benefits of NNS.

ON-SCENE COORDINATORS CAN EFFECTIVELY INFORM THE PUBLIC THROUGH THE NEWS MEDIA

1987 ◽  
Vol 1987 (1) ◽  
pp. 583-585
Author(s):  
Richard M. Meidt
Keyword(s):  
News Media ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Public Information ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Media Relations ◽  
The Public ◽  
Source Of Information ◽  
Credible Source

ABSTRACT The news media influence public perceptions of environmental damage and response effectiveness during oil spills. Successful federal On-Scene Coordinators (OSC) recognize this fact, manage active public information efforts during major oil spills, and take active roles in media relations during spills' critical initial phases. The interests of the public, the news media, and the responder are best served by OSCs whose public information efforts are based on a program of accuracy, courtesy, and thrust of message. Such a program establishes the OSC as a credible source of information to outline the federal action being taken, counter speculation, and avoid inaccuracies. The Public Information Assist Team is a Coast Guard resource, ready to help federal OSCs meet the goals of public information and positive media relations during oil spills.

scholarly journals Acehnese People’s Information Seeking Behavior about COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 161-170
Author(s):  
Rizanna Rosemary ◽  
Hamdani M Syam ◽  
Nur Anisah ◽  
Deni Yanuar ◽  
Heru Syah Putra
Keyword(s):  
Information Seeking ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Public ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Government ◽  
Online Streaming ◽  
To Receive ◽  
Source Of Information

This research aims to identify types of media used by the Acehnese people in seeking information about COVID-19, and people’s perceptions and responses to the information that increases their likelihood of the risk of the pandemic. This study employs a quantitative approach, in which an online survey distributed through social media. All 324 respondents gave their consent to participate in filling out the research questionnaire. The study found that Acehnese people prefer online media and television (TV) to receive information about COVID-19, especially when people can access the information online (streaming). The finding indicates that people tend to trust information obtained through the media more than direct information (face to face) conveyed by the government. Regarding the public responses, this study found that most respondents argue the lack of government action in disseminating information about COVID-19.  It is believed that this condition is likely to bring up false information (hoax) from untrustworthy information sources. This response has an impact on the level of public trust towards the government as the main source of information in handling the pandemic. Respondents claim that the local government has a slow response in providing information about people who are infected by the virus, including insufficient information on the intervention of prevention and treatment carried out to stop the spread of the virus.

scholarly journals Examining tweet content of the turkish ministry of health during covid-19: a qualitative analysis (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mi̇kai̇l Özdemi̇r
Keyword(s):  
Crisis Management ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Public Information ◽  
Communication Process ◽  
Government Agencies ◽  
Ministry Of Health ◽  
The Public ◽  
Regular Production ◽  
Scientific Approach ◽  
Twitter Account

BACKGROUND Health communication has become more critical than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, many officials and government agencies have made public information through this channel, which has made Twitter an alternative reliable media organ. OBJECTIVE The present study focuses on the posts made on the official Twitter account of the Turkish Ministry of Health on the communication process during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS In this qualitative study, a total of 1,349 unique COVID-19-related tweets posted between 1 March and 31 December 2020 were identified. The tweets were evaluated using the content analysis approach by two investigators. RESULTS Six primary themes emerged regarding the content of the messages: providing information, warning to the community, motivating people and morale-boosting, improving cooperation, scientific approach, and advice to the community. It was observed that the incidence of cases and the frequency of the tweets about motivating people and providing information themes were parallel. In addition, the warning to community tweets peaked towards the middle of the pandemic (August 2020), and then the dose of posts on this subject decreased. In addition, while the frequency of warning to community tweets towards the middle of the pandemic increased, then the dose of posts on this topic decreased. CONCLUSIONS This study has shown that the Ministry of Health uses Twitter frequently and effectively to reach the public more easily in the fight against the pandemic. In the future waves of COVID-19 or other pandemics, the planned and regular production of these "tweets" by health professionals will provide a more transparent crisis management opportunity by taking the fear of the public related to the pandemic. This study can provide insights to health officials and government agencies for crisis communication publicizing health information via social media.

scholarly journals On Kantian tendencies during the early corona pandemic in Germany

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus A. Feufel ◽  
Christine Schmid ◽  
Viola Westfal
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perception ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Low Risk ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Public ◽  
Responsible Action ◽  
Other Regarding ◽  
Responsible Manner

AbstractBased on an ad hoc online survey about risk perception and preventive behaviours, we describe three chronological phases related to how people in Germany perceived the Corona pandemic between March 22 and May 10, 2020. In general, participants reported to be less concerned about their own risk than about the risk faced by others. However, a good portion of those who thought that they themselves were low risk actually wrote about their belief that they nevertheless had a responsibility to behave in ways that benefited others, even if it came at a cost to themselves. In loose reference to Immanuel Kant’s notion that humans have a rational duty to act in a socially responsible manner, we interpret people’s comments about other-regarding behaviour as an initiation of a Kantian tendency during the Corona pandemic. Based on these findings, we suggest that policy makers may do better in times of crisis than nudging, incentivizing, or compelling the public by law. They can perhaps accomplish more by (also) nurturing people’s innate sense of the need for socially responsible action to be taken in order to meet the daunting challenges of present and future crises.

scholarly journals Mediating Effects of Risk Perception on Association between Social Support and Coping with COVID-19: An Online Survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1550
Author(s):  
Dian-Jeng Li ◽  
Nai-Ying Ko ◽  
Yu-Ping Chang ◽  
Cheng-Fang Yen ◽  
Yi-Lung Chen
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Risk Perception ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
Active Coping ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Mediating Effects ◽  
The Public ◽  
And Coping

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a novel infectious disease which has had a great impact on the public. Further investigations are, therefore, needed to investigate how the public copes with COVID-19. This study aimed to develop a model to estimate the mediating effects of risk perception and confidence on the association between perceived social support and active coping with the COVID-19 pandemic among people in Taiwan. The data of 1970 participants recruited from a Facebook advertisement were analyzed. Perceived social support, active coping with COVID-19, risk perception and confidence were evaluated using self-administered questionnaires. Structural equation modeling was used to verify the direct and indirect effects between variables. The mediation model demonstrated that lower perceived social support was significantly associated with a higher level of active coping with COVID-19, and this was mediated by a higher level of risk perception. The present study identified the importance of risk perception on the public’s coping strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Public Perception of Data Visuals in Media Coverage During COVID-19 Pandemic: The Risk Perception Model Revisited

Tripodos ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (47) ◽  
pp. 135-154
Author(s):  
Dilek Melike Uluçay ◽  
Gizem Melek ◽  
Deniz Özyurda-Ergen
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perception ◽  
Risk Communication ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
The Public ◽  
Risk Elements ◽  
News Reports ◽  
Irreversible Effects ◽  
Perception Model

The aim of this research is to exam­ine the role that data visuals in media coverage play on the risk perception of the public in times of a pandemic. The article reports findings from an online survey of 191 adults regarding the trajectory of the risk perception model during COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey. We focused on eight state­ments clustered into three groups as indicators of the risk perception when the public came across with the data visuals: (1) the level of anxiety, fear and panic arousals, (2) the lev­el of lacking credibility and trust and (3) the level of impression regarding fatality, irreversible effects and cata­strophic consequences. For the survey, we selected 24 data visuals, which attracted the most interaction from Facebook and Twitter accounts of the seven most popular news outlets. We asked respondents to score eight items for each 24 data visuals of COVID-19 news reports. The results suggest that the respondents find the data present­ed in visuals credible and trustworthy and they agree that the visuals depict risk elements in many cases. Implica­tions of the low and high levels of risk perception regarding data visuals on media for the risk communication the­ory are discussed. Keywords: COVID-19, pandemic, risk perception, data visuals, survey.

PROBLEMS CAUSED BY SMALL PIG FARM ODOR AROUND THE WESTERN SONGKHLA LAKE BASIN

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Papontee Teeraphan
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Lake Basin ◽  
Urgent Problem ◽  
The Public ◽  
Pig Farms ◽  
Pig Farm ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Moment ◽  
Source Of Information ◽  
Proper Solutions

Pollution is currently a significant issue arising awareness throughout the world. In Thailand, pollution can often be seen in any part of the country. Air pollution is pointed as an urgent problem. This pollution has not damaged only to human health and lives, it has destroyed environment, and possibly leading to violence. In Phattalung, air pollution is affecting to the residents’ lives. Especially, when the residents who are mostly agriculturists have not managed the waste resulted from the farm. In Phattalung, at the moment, there are many pig farms, big and small. Some of them are only for consuming for a family, some, however, are being consumed for the business which pigs will be later purchased by big business companies. Therefore, concerning pollution, the researcher and the fund giver were keen to focus on the points of the air pollution of the small pig farms. This is because it has been said that those farms have not been aware on the pollution issue caused by the farms. Farm odor is very interesting which can probably lead to following problems. The researcher also hopes that this research can be used as a source of information by the government offices in order to be made even as a policy or a proper legal measurement. As the results, the study shows that, first, more than half of the samples had smelled the farm odor located nearby their communities, though it had not caused many offenses. Second, the majority had decided not to act or response in order to solve the odor problem, but some of them had informed the officers. The proper solutions in reducing offenses caused by pig farm odor were negotiation and mediation. Last, the majority does not perceive about the process under the Public Health Act B.E. 2535.

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