Objective
To identify the factors associated with perceived COVID-19 risk among people living in the US.
Methods
A cross-sectional representative sample of 485 US residents was collected in mid-April 2020. Participants were asked about (a) perceptions of COVID-19 risk, (b) demographic factors known to be associated with increased COVID-19 risk, and (c) the impact of COVID-19 on different life domains. We used a three-step hierarchical linear regression model to assess the differential contribution of the factors listed above on perceived COVID-19 risk.
Results
The final model accounted for 16% of variability in perceived risk,
F
(18,458) = 4.8,
p
< .001. Participants who were White reported twice as much perceived risk as participants of color (
B
= −2.1, 95% CI[−3.4,-0.8]. Higher perceived risk was observed among those who reported a negative impact of the pandemic on their sleep (
B
= 1.5, 95% CI[0.8,2.1]) or work (
B
= 0.7, 95%CI[0.1,1.3]). The number of cases per capita in their state of residence, age, or proximity to someone with a COVID-19 diagnosis were not found to meaningfully predict perceived risk.
Conclusions
Perceived risk was not found to be associated with known demographic risk factors, except that the effect of race/ethnicity was in the opposite direction of existing evidence. Perception of COVID-19 risk was associated with the perceived personal impact of the pandemic.
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