Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-b95js Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-31T10:44:41.175Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

22 - How Do Individuals Perceive the Risk of COVID-19 Compared to Food Poisoning and Influenza?

from Part II - Health Behaviours and Policies during Covid-19

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2025

By
Natasha Aldulaimi ,
Joan Costa-Font  and
Luca Salmasi
Edited by
Joan Costa-Font  and
Matteo M. Galizzi
Joan Costa-Font
Affiliation:
London School of Economics and Political Science
Matteo M. Galizzi
Affiliation:
London School of Economics and Political Science
Get access

Summary

This chapter explores the different explanations underpinning how individuals perceive risk of Covid-19 and other similar risks in a pandemic in different countries. Results from this study suggest that males and those with less education exhibit lower risk perceptions of COVID-19, compared to their counterparts, and could therefore be targeted by public health campaigns to increase compliance with protective behaviours. Targeting these population groups can also influence influenza risk perception, which may potentially increase COVID-19 protective behaviour adherence. In contrast to expectations, regional proximity to risk does not significantly influence risk perception.

Keywords

risk perceptionsprotecting behaviours
Type
Chapter
Information
Behavioural Economics and Policy for Pandemics
Insights from Responses to COVID-19
 , pp. 401 - 419
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Attema, A. E., L’haridon, O., Raude, J., Seror, V., & Coconel Group. (2021). Beliefs and risk perceptions about COVID-19: Evidence from two successive French representative surveys during lockdown. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 619145.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Birhanu, Z., Ambelu, A., Fufa, D., Mecha, M., Zeynudin, A., Abafita, J., et al. (2021). Risk perceptions and attitudinal responses to COVID-19 pandemic: An online survey in Ethiopia. BMC Public Health, 21(1), 981.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bonem, E. M. (2015). Age differences in risk: Perceptions, intentions and domains. Journal of Behavioural Decision Making, 28(4), 317–330.Google Scholar
Brown, V. J. (2014). Risk perception: It’s personal. Environmental Health Perspectives, 122(10), A276–A279.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brug, J., Aro, A. R., Oenema, A., de Zwart, O., Richardus, J. H., & Bishop, G. D. (2004). SARS risk perception, knowledge, precautions, and information sources, the Netherlands. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 10(8), 1486–1489. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1008.040283CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bundorf, M. K. (2021). Risk perceptions and protective behaviours: Evidence from COVID-19 pandemic. Working Paper 28741. National Bureau of Economic Research. www.nber.org/papers/w28741.Google Scholar
Costa‐Font, J., Mossialos, E., & Rudisill, C. (2009). Optimism and the perceptions of new risks. Journal of risk research, 12(1), 27–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Bruin, W. B. (2020). Age differences in COVID-19 risk perceptions and mental health: Evidence from a national U.S. survey conducted in March 2020. The Journals of Gerontology, 76(2), e24–e29.Google Scholar
De Zwart, O., Veldhuijzen, I. K., Elam, G., Aro, A. R., Abraham, T., Bishop, G. D., et al. (2009). Perceived threat, risk perception, and efficacy beliefs related to SARS and other (emerging) infectious diseases: Results of an international survey. International Journal of Behavioural Medicine, 16, 30–40.Google ScholarPubMed
Dryhurst, S., Schneider, C. R., Kerr, J., Freeman, A. L. J., Recchia, G., van der Bles, A. M., et al. (2020). Risk perceptions of COVID-19 around the world. Journal of Risk Research, 23(7–8), 994–1006.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elharake, J. A., Shafiq, M., McFadden, S. M., Malik, A. A., & Omer, S. B. (2021). The association of COVID-19 risk perception, county death rates, and voluntary health behaviors among U.S. adult population. The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 225(4), 593–597. https://academic.oup.com/jid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/infdis/jiab131/6167840CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ferrer, R., & Klein, W. M (2015). Risk perceptions and health behavior. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 1(5), 85–89.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Field, J. V., & Schreer, G. E. (2000). Age differences in personal risk perceptions: A note on an exploratory descriptive study. RISK: Health, Safety & Environment, 11(4), 287–295.Google Scholar
Heino, M., Vuorre, M., & Hankonen, N. (2018). Bayesian evaluation of behavior change interventions: A brief introduction and a practical example. Health Psychology and Behavioural Medicine, 6(1), 49–78.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hitchcock, J. L. (2001). Gender differences in risk perception: Broadening the contexts. RISK: Health, Safety & Environment, 12(3), 179.Google Scholar
Jacobson, J. D., Catley, D., Lee, H. S., Harrar, S. W., & Harris, K. J. (2014). Health risk perceptions predict smoking-related outcomes in Greek college students. Psychology of Addictive Behaviours, 28(3), 743–751.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lang, R., Benham, J. L., Atabati, O., Hollis, A., Tombe, T., Shaffer, B., et al. (2021). Attitudes, behaviours and barriers to public health measures for COVID-19: A survey to inform public health messaging. BMC Public Health, 21(1), 1–15.Google Scholar
Lundborg, P., & Andersson, H. (2008). Gender, risk perceptions and smoking behaviour. Journal of Health Economics, 27(5), 1299–1311.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paek, H.-J., & Hove, T. (2017). Risk perceptions and risk characteristics. Oxford Research Encyclopedias. https://oxfordre.com/communication/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.001.0001/acrefore-9780190228613-e-283CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Popova, L. (2012). The extended parallel process model: Illuminating the gaps in research. Health Education & Behavior, 39(4), 455–473.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Prentice-Dunn, S., & Rogers, R. W. (1986). Protection motivation theory and preventive health: Beyond the health belief model. Health Education Research, 1(3), 153–161.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rimal, R. V., & Juon, H. S. (2010). Use of the risk perception attitude framework for promoting breast cancer prevention. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 40(2), 287–310.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rudisill, C., Costa-Font, J., & Mossialos, E. (2012). Behavioral adjustment to avian flu in Europe during spring 2006: the roles of knowledge and proximity to risk. Social Science & Medicine, 75(8), 1362–1371.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Savage, I. (1993). Demographic influences on risk perceptions. Risk Analysis, 13(4), 413–420.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schneider, C. R., Dryhurst, S., Kerr, J., Freeman, A. L. J., Recchia, G., Spiegelhalter, D., & van der Linden, S. (2021). COVID-19 risk perception: A longitudinal analysis of its predictors and associations with health protective behaviours in the United Kingdom. Journal of Risk Research, 24(3–4), 294–313.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shahin, M. A. H., & Hussien, R. M. (2020). Risk perception regarding the COVID-19 outbreak among the general population: A comparative Middle East survey. Middle East Current Psychiatry, 27(71), 1–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shanteau, J., & Pingenot, A. (2009). Subjective expected utility theory. In Kattan, M. W. (ed.), Encyclopedia of Medical Decision Making, 1st ed. SAGE Publishers.Google Scholar
Sund, B., Svensson, M., & Anderssond, H. (2017). Demographic determinants of incident experience and risk perception: do high-risk groups accurately perceive themselves as high-risk?. Journal of Risk Research, 20, 99–117.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Viscusi, W. K. (1991). Age variations in risk perceptions and smoking decisions. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 73(4), 577–588.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Viscusi, W. K., & Hakes, J. (2003). Risk ratings that do not measure probabilities. Journal of Risk Research, 6(1), 23–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×