Abstract
BackgroundTo control the spread of the new SARS-CoV-2 infection's disease (COVID-19), appropriate precautionary behaviors by the public should be promoted. There are international differences in public cognitive and behavioral pattern, attitudes toward information sources, and anxiety about COVID-19. Information about these differences could increase understanding of the patterns of epidemic-related anxiety and behavior, and would help optimize future policies for preventing the next wave of the epidemic.MethodsTo examine between-country differences in perception, attitude, and precautionary behaviors toward COVID-19, we conducted a cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire survey. Participants were adults who had been registered in Cross Marketing Group Inc. and living in the UK, Spain, or Japan. A total of 8,000 people stratified by age were recruited on a first-come, first-serve basis. Knowledge of and anxiety about COVID-19, the frequency of access and perceived credibility of several information sources, and the frequency of each precautionary behavior were examined on March 27–28, 2020, in Japan and April 17–21, 2020, in the UK and Spain.ResultsKnowledge, anxiety, and the frequency of precautionary behaviors were higher in the UK and Spain than in Japan. Participants with infected acquaintances were more concerned about COVID-19. However, participants in the UK rarely wore a medical mask. Participants in the UK and Spain were more eager to obtain information about COVID-19 than those in Japan. Participants in Spain tended not to trust official information and to believe specialists’ comments instead.ConclusionThe rapidity of the spread of COVID-19, cultural background, and recent political situations seemed to contribute to the international differences here.
Highlights
To control the spread of the new SARS-CoV-2 infection’s disease (COVID-19), appropriate precautionary behaviors by the public should be promoted
We first excluded from the analysis all invalid answers, as non-serious responses may have been provided by individuals who participated in the survey just for reward
A survey of Italian subjects indicated that a higher level of knowledge was positively associated with the acceptance of strict mitigation measures, such as lockdown [24]. If this finding is applicable to people in other countries, we should expect people in the United Kingdom (UK) and Spain to be more supportive of national lockdown policies than those in Japan, because the present findings indicate that the former populations have higher risk perception and anxiety
Summary
To control the spread of the new SARS-CoV-2 infection’s disease (COVID-19), appropriate precautionary behaviors by the public should be promoted. There are international differences in public cognitive and behavioral pattern, attitudes toward information sources, and anxiety about COVID-19. Information about these differences could increase understanding of the patterns of epidemic-related anxiety and behavior, and would help optimize future policies for preventing the wave of the epidemic. Citizens in many countries face the risk of serious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, i.e., COVID-19. There are differences between countries in public attitudes, behaviors, and anxiety toward COVID-19. Facing uncertain situations can increase anxiety levels, especially if there is potential mortality risk. Anxiety may lead both healthy and vulnerable individuals to engage
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