Predictors of Misperceptions, Risk Perceptions, and Personal Risk Perceptions About Covid-19 by Country, Education and Income

ABSTRACT

Purpose of study Government interventions, such as mandating the use of masks and social distancing, play a crucial role in controlling the spread of disease during a pandemic. Currently, there is a disconnect between policy and public adherence. The Health Belief Model states health initiatives will be successful if they can target perceived barriers, benefits, self efficacy, and threats. Our goal was to explore the roles of education, income, and country on misperceptions, risk perceptions and personal risk perceptions about COVID-19. Methods used The data used in this study were supplied by Pennycook et, al. Data were extracted from three pre-registered surveys conducted by the polling firm Prolific. Binary logistic regressions were conducted to investigate the roles country, education, and income had on outcome variables. Summary of results Across the United States (USA), Canada, and United Kingdom (UK), individuals in the highest income quartile were significantly less likely to hold misperceptions (OR=0.61) and less likely to perceive personal risk (OR=0.38) regarding COVID-19 compared to individuals in the lowest income quartile. When comparing these income quartiles in the USA, the difference in perceived risk was heightened (OR=0.21). Citizens of the UK were more likely to have risk perceptions compared to citizens of the USA (OR=1.50). Citizens of Canada were less likely to perceive personal risk compared to citizens of the USA (OR=0.40). Conclusions Public health initiatives can induce maximal behavior change if they successfully target perceived barriers, benefits, self efficacy and threats. Proper risk perception and understanding of COVID-19 is necessary in order for the public to adhere to government initiatives. People of the lowest income quartiles were shown to have more misperceptions and personal risk perceptions across all three countries. This highlights the socioeconomic impact COVID- 19 has on the global community. Our findings support past research on the importance of education and income in affecting health perceptions and outcomes. Further research is needed to explore interventions to minimize misperceptions, accurately shape risk perception, and effectively communicate science.