Abstract
Amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, a variety of public health strategies have been implemented by governments worldwide. However, the fact that strict government mandates focus on physical distancing does not mean that social connectedness for voluntary risk communication among citizens should be sacrificed. Furthermore, we lack an understanding of citizens’ behaviors regarding the voluntary adoption of public health measures and the control of mental wellbeing in the age of physical distancing. Key variables in the response to the global pandemic are the emergence of risk deliberation networks, voluntary compliance with government guidelines, and the restoration of citizens’ subjective health. However, little is known about how citizens’ health-related behaviors coevolve with social connections for sharing information and discussing urgent pandemic issues. The findings show that selection and social influence mechanisms coexist by affecting each citizen’s health-related behaviors and community-led risk discourses in the face of the urgent health crisis.
Highlights
As of 18 April 2020, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) had killed 146,088 and infected 2,160,207 people globally [1]
In the model for network dynamics that investigates how health communication ties are formed, the results show that a higher adoption of voluntary public health measures by risk deliberation partners facilitates the establishment of links for risk communication by the students
In the model of behavior dynamics that evaluates the determinants of the voluntary adoption of public health measures, mutual influence finds support, which indicates that the students’ degrees of the adoption of voluntary public health measures adapt to the degree of the adoption of voluntary public health measures of their risk discourse partners through the connections developed between them
Summary
As of 18 April 2020, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) had killed 146,088 and infected 2,160,207 people globally [1]. Discussions surrounding COVID-19 have not paid sufficient attention to the significance and role of risk communication that voluntarily emerges in civil society [2], despite the strong evidence from the field of risk governance that discourses on risk impact disaster response and community resilience during shocks [3]. Citizens other than those in vulnerable groups have become anxious about their deteriorating mental health caused by sudden and prolonged isolation from society beyond the current infection issues [7,8]. The discussion within societies and governments regarding regulatory interventions mainly calls for and emphasizes physical distancing—for example, enforcements to impose lockdowns, shut down shops, or restrict the movement of citizens—and the effectiveness of these measures to prevent COVID-19. The social connections for sharing critical information and exchanging mental health support have been neglected
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