Description

Within less than a year, the COVID-19 pandemic has become the most severe global health challenge since the Spanish Flu (1918/1919). While some governments have been implementing drastic measures to slow down the spread, such as severe travel restrictions, closing of borders, lockdowns, curfews and limitation of contact persons to only family members plus one non-family member, others governments have taken softer action. By now, knowledge of Coronavirus is ubiquitous as is the need to practice hand hygiene and social distancing to prevent spread. While some individuals strictly adhere to restrictions, others continue about their daily lives without precautions. The fact that individuals in these times of joint challenge act so indifferent indicates that risk perception related to this novel virus strongly differs between different places and individuals over time. The aim of this MSc project is to understand changes in risk perception over space and time, to aid governments in the future decide when best to impose specific measures for optimal efficacy.
Case study areas will be selected together with students.

Objectives and Methodology

To understand individuals’ changing COVID-19-related risk perceptions across space and time.
To identify major determinants for changes in risk perceptions and hygiene behaviours.
To assess the implications of risk perceptions on individual health- and hygiene-related behaviour (change) across time and space.
To identify evidence-based recommendations to improve health-related decision-making.
Methodology: A rapid review of literature, quantitative data collection, and qualitative methods are combined. Comparison of “higher” and “lower” risk areas.

Further reading

Abdulkareem, S.A.; Augustijn, E.-W.; Filatova, T.; Musial, K.; Mustafa, Y.T., 2020. Risk perception and behavioral change during epidemics: Comparing models of individual and collective learning. PLOS ONE, 15(1), e0226483.
Cori, L; Bianchi, F; Cadum, E. Anthonj, C., 2020. Risk Perception and COVID-19. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17(9), 3114.
Dryhurst, S.; Schneider, C.R.; Kerr, J.; Freeman, A.L.J.; Recchia, G.; van der Bles, A.M.; Spiegelhalter, D.; van der Linden, S., 2020. Risk perceptions of COVID-19 around the world. Journal of Risk Research 23, 7-8.