Factors influencing the acceptance of the measures for the containment of Covid-19

Abstract

Abstract Aim This study examines the impact of individual factors and personal experiences with Covid-19 on how one views the pandemic and the measures against it. Subject and methods For this, a survey was conducted and evaluated using structural equation modeling and multivariate statistics. Results Hereby, a higher approval was found for measures associated with a high contribution to the confinement of the pandemic but with low restrictions on the people at the same time. Furthermore, the results showed that people rating the pandemic as dangerous show a higher agreement with all measures, and likewise, these people decreasingly rate the measures as worse than the pandemic itself. Also, it could be shown that, especially personal experiences like a quarantaine and personal restrictions, increased the opinion that Covid-19 is a dangerous disease. Also, people informing themselves with alternative press rated Covid-19 as less dangerous. In contrast, age and gender had no influence on the view on the pandemic and the measures against it. Conclusion From the results, mainly two conclusions can be drawn: people can disinguish well between the benefits of single measures and personal experiences play an important role in their rating. Thus, when establishing measures in further pandemics, it might be wise to include the public’s opinion in all decisions.