Public information needs during the COVID-19 outbreak: a qualitative study in mainland China

Abstract

PurposeThe impact of COVID-19 has led to a surge in the public’s reliance on the Internet for pandemic information, and the policy of home isolation has exacerbated this. This study aimed to investigate public information needs and ways of accessing and disseminating information during COVID-19 in mainland China.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a qualitative research approach to conduct semi-structured interviews with 15 participants from 9 cities in mainland China about information needs and access behaviors during the COVID-19 outbreak. All interview recordings were converted into text and proofread, then coded and summarised in correspondence with the research questions using the grounded theory.FindingsThis study summarized the dynamics of public information needs during the 2.5-year pandemic and identified the difficulties in accessing certain information.Originality/valueAlthough information needs of public health emergencies have been a hot topic during COVID-19, scant studies focus on information needs in specific countries in Asia, especially in mainland China, the first country with a major outbreak and stringent lockdown mandates. Therefore, the current study is well enriched by focusing on information demand behavior in the context of COVID-19. Possible measures for improvement were also given to existing and potential problems, taking into account the participants’ views.

Impact of COVID-19 on reading behaviors and preferences: investigating high school students and parents with the 5E instructional model

“…, 2022; Yu et al ., 2022b; Sung and Chiu, 2022; Meng et al. , 2023; Yi and Chiu, 2023; Guo et al ., 2021; Nadi-Ravandi and Batooli, 2023). Studies have shown that smartphones have become people's most crucial reading devices (Ezeamuzie et al ., 2022; Adeyemi, 2021; Dong et al ., 2021; Yip et al ., 2021; Zhang et al ., 2021).…”

“…Due to the mass production of digital resources, people spend much time on electronic devices daily to obtain useful information (Cheung et al, 2022;Yu et al, 2022a;Ding et al, 2021;Wang et al, 2016). Remarkably, after the COVID-19 outbreak, people have used electronic devices to read and interact more frequently due to social distancing requirements (Chan et al, 2022;Yu et al, 2022b;Sung and Chiu, 2022;Meng et al, 2023;Yi and Chiu, 2023;Guo et al, 2021;Nadi-Ravandi and Batooli, 2023). Studies have shown that smartphones have become people's most crucial reading devices (Ezeamuzie et al, 2022;Adeyemi, 2021;Dong et al, 2021;Yip et al, 2021;Zhang et al, 2021).…”

Editorial: Special selection on contemporary bibliometric analytics

“…More institutions have moved to online learning mode in the past few years due to COVID-19 (Kabigting et al ., 2023; Li et al ., 2023; Tse et al ., 2022; Ye and Ho, 2022; Yi and Chiu, 2023; Yu et al ., 2023) and changed information habits of youths (Ding et al ., 2021b; Dong et al ., 2021; Yu et al ., 2022) and curricula (Ho et al ., 2023; Yew et al ., 2022; Li and Chiu, 2022; Ng et al ., 2022). Thus, a focus is on the dropout rates of massive open online courses (MOOCs).…”

Editorial: Advances in information and knowledge management

“…People have changed their information habits to digital, particularly for the newer generation (Cheung et al ., 2023; Dai and Chiu, 2023; Guo et al ., 2022; Nguyen and Le, 2021; Leung et al ., 2022; Li et al ., 2021; Lu et al ., 2023; Soroya and Faiola, 2023; Sung and Chiu, 2022; Yi and Chiu, 2023; Yu et al ., 2022; Wong and Chiu, 2023c; Wong et al ., 2023b; Wu and Zhang, 2022). Further, digitalization technology enables libraries and scholars to share links and content on social media to attract users (Banshal et al ., 2022; Lo et al ., 2019; Ocran and Afful-Arthur, 2022; Pianzola et al ., 2022; Yang et al ., 2020; Wu et al ., 2022a; Wu, 2022; Xu and Du, 2022).…”