Risk perceptions of COVID-19 in Beijing: a cross-sectional study

• DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1294765
• Publication Date: 2024-02-07T05:33:41Z
• Authors: Qing Liu; Yiyang Tan; Zheng Zhu; Jiawei Zhang; Yaqun Fu; Quan Wang; Zhijie Nie; Li Yang; Xiaoguang Li
• Keywords: Cartography; 0301 basic medicine; Risk perception; China; Scale (ratio); Cognitive Neuroscience; Social Sciences; Infectious disease (medical specialty); Psychological Impact; 03 medical and health sciences; risk perception; Pathology; cross-sectional study; Psychology; Government (linguistics); Disease; The Role of Optimism in Psychological Well-being; Applied Psychology; Cross-sectional study; Geography; pandemic; COVID-19; Life Sciences; determinants; Linguistics; BF1-990; FOS: Philosophy, ethics and religion; FOS: Psychology; Neuroscience of Moral Judgment and Disgust; Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); Clinical Psychology; Philosophy; Environmental health; Archaeology; Beijing; Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health; FOS: Languages and literature; Medicine; Perception; Gerontology; Neuroscience

BackgroundThe Chinese government has ended the “dynamic zero-COVID” policy, and residents are now living together with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Only a limited number of studies have investigated the specific content and structure of COVID-19-related risk perceptions, as well as their underlying determinants. This study measured the residents’ risk perception of COVID-19 and analyzed the predictors of RP.MethodsWe conducted a comprehensive questionnaire-based survey among residents mostly in Beijing, using a specially designed scale consisting of 11 items to accurately measure COVID-19 risk perceptions. We then utilized multiple linear regression analysis to investigate the factors associated with risk perceptions.ResultsA total of 60,039 residents participated in the survey. Our study reveals that COVID-19-related worries are significantly influenced by other dimensions of RP (p < 0.001), except for perceived society’s control of the epidemic. Several experiential and socio-demographic factors, including gender, educational level, and infectious experience, are notably correlated with all dimensions of risk perceptions of COVID-19.ConclusionThis study evaluates the specific content and structure of COVID-19-related risk perceptions, as well as their determinants. It is essential to understand the risk perceptions and health-protective behaviors of residents with diverse educational levels, incomes, and medical histories.