A Study on the Mechanism of How COVID-19 Information Influences the Public’s Risk Perception and Coping Behavior

Abstract

Abstract: Through a questionnaire survey of 2,144 people, this study, from the perspective of risk communication, investigates the impact of risk information on people’s coping behavior during the epidemic and explores the mediating role of risk perception and the moderating role of people’s psychological tension. The results show that, in terms of risk information, healing information and infection information has the greatest impact on people’s risk perception, and such impact is much more significant than the impact of individual-related information and anti-epidemic measures. Compared with the results of spatial location map of SARS risk perception factors in 2003, the “etiology” of COVID-19 has shifted from the familiar and uncontrollable end to the controllable and familiar end. This suggests that individuals’ risk perception ability in 2019 is much better than that in 2003. However, the “ post-healing effects on body” and “ noninfectivity” are still at the unfamiliar and uncontrollable end. Furthermore, the psychological “Typhoon Eye Effect” exists in the population of the COVID-19 epidemic center. Finally, the epidemic information has an impact on the public’s coping behavior through risk perception, which further verifies the applicability of the risk prediction model, and psychological stress moderates the relationship between risk information and coping behavior. The conclusion of this study provides some suggestions and potential countermeasures for dealing with public health emergencies.

Key words: COVID-19, risk information, risk perception, coping behavior, psychological tension

Shi Kan, Zhou Haiming, Jiao Songming, Guo Huidan, Dong Yan. A Study on the Mechanism of How COVID-19 Information Influences the Public’s Risk Perception and Coping Behavior[J]. Management Review, 2022, 34(8): 217-228.

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