How to identify public risk perception in public health emergencies and explore its driving mechanism? An empirical analysis in the Xi'an epidemic

Abstract

Public risk perception is the psychological perception and cognitive behavior towards public health emergencies, the high level of which can seriously threaten mental health and social stability. However, scholarly focus often neglects the specific risks associated with public health emergencies and the individual differences among the public. Addressing these gaps, this study takes the Xi'an epidemic as an example, proposing a Word2vec-BiLSTM-based risk perception identification model. Additionally, it investigates the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of risk perception by introducing life cycle factors. Furthermore, adopting a triple definition of risk, the study innovatively employs the GTWR model to explore the driving influences of existing risk, foreseeable risk, and communication risk on risk perception. The results indicate temporal fluctuations in risk perception, with an initial increase followed by a decline, and a spatial distribution pattern characterized by "high in the middle and low on both sides". The influence of risk grade on risk perception shifts from positive to negative over time, being a dominant force. Population density exhibits a minor negative effect, while number of participants shows a gradually increasing positive correlation. These findings offer a novel perspective for policymakers to optimize legal regulations and enhance guidance mechanisms to reduce public risk perception.