Attitudes Toward Mobile Apps for Pandemic Research Among Smartphone Users in Germany: National Survey

Abstract

Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, but also in the context of previous epidemic diseases, mobile apps for smartphones were developed with different goals and functions, such as digital contact tracing, test management, symptom monitoring, quarantine compliance, and epidemiological and public health research. Objective The aim of this study was to explore the potential for the acceptance of research-orientated apps (ROAs) in the German population. To this end, we identified distinctive attitudes toward pandemic apps and data sharing for research purposes among smartphone users in general and with a focus on differences in attitudes between app users and nonusers in particular. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional, national, telephone-based survey of 1003 adults in Germany, of which 924 were useable for statistical analysis. The 17-item survey assessed current usage of pandemic apps, motivations for using or not using pandemic apps, trust in app distributors and attitudes toward data handling (data storage and transmission), willingness to share coded data with researchers using a pandemic app, social attitudes toward app use, and demographic and personal characteristics. Results A vast majority stated that they used a smartphone (778/924, 84.2%), but less than half of the smartphone users stated that they used a pandemic app (326/778, 41.9%). The study focused on the subsample of smartphone users. Interestingly, when asked about preferred organizations for data storage and app distribution, trust in governmental (federal or state government, regional health office), public-appointed (statutory health insurance), or government-funded organizations (research institutes) was much higher than in private organizations (private research institutions, clinics, health insurances, information technology [IT] companies). Having a university degree significantly (P<.001) increased the likelihood of using a pandemic app, while having a migration background significantly (P<.001) decreased it. The overwhelming majority (653/778, 83.9%) of smartphone users were willing to provide their app data for state-funded research. Regarding attitudes toward app usage, striking differences between users and nonusers were found. Almost all app users (317/327, 96.9%) stated they would be willing to share data, whereas only 74.3% (336/452) of nonusers supported data sharing via an app. Two-thirds (216/326, 66.3%) of app users fully or rather agreed with the statement that using a pandemic app is a social duty, whereas almost the same proportion of nonusers entirely or rather disagreed with that statement (273/451, 60.5%). Conclusions These findings indicate a high potential for the adoption of ROAs among smartphone users in Germany as long as organizational providers engaged in development, operation, and distribution are state-funded or governmental institutions and transparency about data-using research institutions is provided.

The Dutch COVID-19 Notification App: Lessons Learned From a Mixed Methods Evaluation Among End Users and Contact-Tracing Employees

“…To our knowledge, this study is the first to provide such a broad and simultaneously deep view. Other studies have focused on singular aspects, such as usability [ 9 ], its epidemiological impact [ 14 ], and factors contributing to the adoption of similar apps [ 9 , 16 ]. This study provides both a deep and broad view of the app and the environment in which it exists.…”

“…This study is the second qualitative study on the Dutch CM app and part of a larger effort to evaluate the effectiveness of the app as a tool during the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier research [ 9 ] focused on the usability and user-centeredness of the app during its initial release. Changes were made to the app because of this first study.…”

“…Little is known about the causes of behavioral outcomes. For example, no insights have been gained at that point into the user friendliness of the app and its comprehensibility [ 9 ]. This changed after the initial usability study of the CM app by Bente et al [ 8 ].…”

Retos y oportunidades en la accesibilidad de datos

“…Y cuando se trata de instituciones de gobierno menos de una de cada tres personas confían en las instituciones gubernamentales. En contraparte con países de Europa, por ejemplo, en una encuesta realizada en Alemania del uso de aplicaciones móviles en esta era de pandemia, revela que los ciudadanos confían más en instituciones estatales que en privadas, y un 78,8% de los encuestados están dispuestos a donar datos a instituciones estatales o institutos de investigación para la investigación médica (Buhr et al, 2022). De acuerdo con el informe la desconfianza genera bajos índices de desarrollo en innovación o investigación.…”

Consumer digital trust: The main trends and research directions

“…In research on the topic "Adoption of mobile technologies", the authors consider not only mobile technologies directly, but also the trust in mobile applications [Buhr, Schicktanz, Nordmeyer, 2022] . Other important aspects of this research topic are the safety of user information and the use of new innovative mobile technologies [Saprikis, Avlogiaris, Katarachia, 2020] .…”