Dataset Information

Trust, risk perception, and COVID-19 infections: Evidence from multilevel analyses of combined original dataset in China.

ABSTRACT: Previous studies have revealed medical, democratic, and political factors altering responses to unexpected infectious diseases. However, few studies have attempted to explore the factors affecting disease infection from a social perspective. Here, we argue that trust, which plays an important role in shaping people' s risk perception toward hazards, can also affect risk perception toward infections from a social perspective. Drawing on the indication that risk perception of diseases helps prevent people from being infected by promoting responsible behaviors, it can be further asserted that trust may alter the infection rate of diseases as a result of risk perception toward infectious diseases. This is an essential point for preventing the spread of infectious diseases and should be demonstrated. To empirically test this prediction, this study uses the COVID-19 outbreak in China as an example and applies an original dataset combining real-time big data, official data, and social survey data from 317 cities in 31 Chinese provinces to demonstrate whether trust influences the infection rate of diseases. Multilevel regression analyses reveal three main results: (1) trust in local government and media helps to reduce the infection rate of diseases; (2) generalized trust promotes a higher rather than lower infection rate; and (3) the effects of different types of trust are either completely or partly mediated by risk perception toward diseases. The theoretical and practical implications of this study provide suggestions for improving the public health system in response to possible infectious diseases.

SUBMITTER: Ye M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7654228 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Trust, risk perception, and COVID-19 infections: Evidence from multilevel analyses of combined original dataset in China.

Ye Maoxin M Lyu Zeyu Z

Social science & medicine (1982) 20201110

Previous studies have revealed medical, democratic, and political factors altering responses to unexpected infectious diseases. However, few studies have attempted to explore the factors affecting disease infection from a social perspective. Here, we argue that trust, which plays an important role in shaping people' s risk perception toward hazards, can also affect risk perception toward infections from a social perspective. Drawing on the indication that risk perception of diseases helps preven ...[more]

PMID: 33218890

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundPoultry farmers are at high-risk from avian influenza A/H7N9 infection due to sustained occupational exposures to live poultry. This study examined factors associated with poultry farmers' adoption of personal protective behaviours (PPBs) based on Protection Motivation Theory (PMT).MethodsTotally, 297 poultry farmers in three cities of Jiangsu Province, China were interviewed during November 2013-January 2014. Data on PMT constructs, perceived trustworthiness of A/H7N9 information from mass media (formal sources), friends and family (informal sources), intention to adopt and actual adoption of PPBs and respondents' demographics were collected. Structural equation modeling (SEM) identified associations between demographic factors and PMT constructs associated with A/H7N9-oriented PPB intention. Moderated mediation analysis examined how demographics moderated the effects of information trust on PPB intention via risk perceptions of A/H7N9.ResultsRespondents generally perceived low vulnerability to A/H7N9 infection. The SEM found that male respondents perceived lower severity of (β = -0.23), and lower vulnerability to (β = -0.15) A/H7N9 infection; age was positively associated with both perceived personal vulnerability to (β = 0.21) and perceived self-efficacy (β = 0.24) in controlling A/H7N9; education was positively associated with perceived response efficacy (β = 0.40). Furthermore, perceived vulnerability (β = 0.16), perceived self-efficacy (β = 0.21) and response efficacy (β = 0.67) were positively associated with intention to adopt PPBs against A/H7N9. More trust in informal information (TII) was only significantly associated with greater PPB intention through its positive association with perceived response efficacy. Age significantly moderated the associations of TII with perceived Self-efficacy and perceived response efficacy, with younger farmers who had greater TII perceiving lower self-efficacy but higher response efficacy.ConclusionPoultry farmers perceive A/H7N9 as a personally-irrelevant risk. Interventions designed to enhance perceived response efficacy, particularly among lower educated respondents may effectively motivate adoption of PPBs. Informal information may be an important resource for enhancing response efficacy.

Dataset Information

Trust, risk perception, and COVID-19 infections: Evidence from multilevel analyses of combined original dataset in China.

Publications

Trust, risk perception, and COVID-19 infections: Evidence from multilevel analyses of combined original dataset in China.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets