The role of government risk communication in public health emergencies: evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Purpose During the COVID-19 pandemic, government risk communication to the public was among the critical works, as the governments had to fight two enemies at once: the pandemic itself and the infodemic surrounding the COVID-19. Government risk communication could provide the public with prompt and accurate information as well as eliminate fake news, rumors and misinformation, thereby raising the public’s knowledge and risk perception and, thus, shaping their compliance with the government’s advices and directives. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of government risk communication through mass media on the public’s knowledge, risk perception and compliance with safety measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach The ordinary least square and probit regression models were used for analyzing data collected from citizens living in Vietnam during the COVID-19 social distancing. Findings The results of this paper show that government risk communication enhances the public’s knowledge of the COVID-19 and raises their risk perception of the virus. In addition, government risk communication is found to shape the public’s compliance with most safety measures. Practical implications This paper offers practical implications for containing a pandemic (especially in the context that vaccines are unavailable or insufficient) by emphasizing the role of government risk communication. Originality/value This paper is among the first attempts that examine the role of government risk communication through mass media in enhancing the public’s knowledge, their risk perception and their compliance with safety measures during a pandemic.

Exposure to risk communication, compliance with preventive measures and information-sharing behavior among students during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Our research reveals that students' exposure to risk communication in media is positively associated with their compliance with COVID-19 preventive measures, which is in line with previous studies (Berriche and Altay, 2020; Heydari et al. , 2021; Thanh and Tung, 2021, 2022; Wang et al. , 2020).…”

“…Similar to the implications from previous studies on risk communication during the pandemic (Sutton et al. , 2021; Thanh and Tung, 2022), different groups may have their own preferred forms of information. For instance, the less-educated groups (e.g.…”

“…, 2015; Lee and Ma, 2012; Ma et al. , 2014; Thanh and Tung, 2022). These findings also support the argument that online media are effective information and communication channel to deliver public health messages, thereby raising the public's risk perception and understanding of the pandemic, and thus fostering their compliance during a pandemic (Asnakew et al.…”

“…printed newspapers, radio, or television) (Briand, 2020; Kwok et al. , 2021; Thanh and Tung, 2022). Our findings confirmed the outstanding role of online media in encouraging compliance and fostering information sharing among the students during the COVID-19 pandemic; therefore, public health authorities should take advantage of online media, especially social media, to enhance the outreach of risk communication messages to this group during a public health crisis like COVID-19.…”

“…Literature documents that sharing information related to the crisis can augment public knowledge concerning the crisis, thereby raising awareness of and encouraging appropriate behaviors (Berry et al. , 2007; Huurne and Gutteling, 2008; Kass-Hout and Alhinnawi, 2013; Thanh and Tung, 2022; Wang et al. , 2021; Yang et al.…”