People's Perceptions Research Articles

Acceptance of AI-powered facial recognition technology in surveillance scenarios: Role of trust, security, and privacy perceptions

The study examines the roles of various layers of trust, as well as privacy and security concerns, in shaping the acceptance of AI-powered facial recognition technology (FRT) in three surveillance scenarios—public spaces, hospitals, and schools. Based on survey data from 575 U S. participants, we found that the context in which FRT is deployed shapes people's perceptions and acceptance of the technology. People perceived greater safety gains in schools and greater privacy risks in public spaces. Trust in officials, familiarity with FRT, and perceived security benefits positively predicted acceptance, while distrust and perceived privacy risks negatively predicted acceptance. These findings offer insights for stakeholders of FRT, policymakers, and organizations that seek to implement AI-powered surveillance, emphasizing the need to address public trust and privacy concerns.

A socio-ecological approach to investigate the perception of green walls in cities: A comparative analysis of case studies in Turin and Lisbon

New urban greening practices are increasingly adopted to contrast and mitigate critical issues of urban areas. These strategies involve nature-inspired solutions to increase sustainability and restore natural processes in cities. In this framework, green walls play a pivotal role to reintroduce nature and provide both environmental and socio-cultural benefits in high densely cities. Despite green walls contribute to increase the aesthetic value of buildings and people's consideration of the area, methodologies to effectively assess their social benefits are still lacking.This study proposes a place-based approach to investigate the Restorative capacity of two outdoor green walls: a modular living walls system covering two facades of a public university building in Turin (Italy) and a plastic planter boxes based living wall located in an inner courtyard of a cultural centre in Lisbon (Portugal). Firstly, the two living walls were characterised through direct observation considering technical, spatial, and social aspects that influence the fruition and the biophilic perception of these public spaces. Then, a self-rating questionnaire based on the Perceived Restorativeness Scale model was given on-site to participants to investigate the influence of green walls on people's cognitive perception and well-being. The novel Green Wall Perceived Restorativeness Scale consists of 17 items that evaluate individuals' perceptions of green walls, emphasising their attractiveness, integrative role in the environment and contribution to the overall appeal and comfort of space. Similar results between sites suggest that common features such as development at maximum building height, symmetrical disposition, element repetition and plant variety are drivers of citizens perception of green walls. Outcomes support the recognised link between citizens aesthetic appreciation of green walls and their perceived sense of comfort and mental relief, related to the Being away factor. The spontaneous social gathering and citizens resting near both green walls creates evidence of the attractiveness of this nature-based solution as a landmark in the urban environment. These conclusions demonstrate the pivotal role of urban biophilic design to combine natural and artificial elements in architectural and landscape design creating an opportunity to increase the use of green walls to contribute to citizens well-being in urban settings.

Perspectives on Organ Donation among Adolescents and Impacting Factors

Organ donation is a pivotal yet relatively unexplored subject in India, where prevalent myths, misconceptions, and cultural beliefs often shape people's attitudes and perceptions towards organ donation. This research paper delves into the views of adolescents in India on organ donation, as they represent a crucial demographic group that is poised to become future decision-makers and potential donors. Based on a thorough analysis of qualitative and quantitative data collected through surveys, interviews, and focus group discussions, the paper examines the knowledge, attitudes, and intentions of adolescents regarding organ donation. Furthermore, the paper investigates the factors that influence their willingness to donate organs, including their religious and cultural beliefs, family dynamics, educational interventions, and awareness campaigns. The study's results provide valuable insights into the obstacles and enablers of organ donation among young people in India and underscore the significance of targeted educational programs to foster a donation culture and enhance organ donation rates in the country.

Siblings and the Bereaved Self: Identity (Re)Construction Following the Death of a Brother or Sister

Having and being a sibling can be vital in shaping one’s identity. Using data from a qualitative study exploring experiences of sibling bereavement over the life course, this article questions how the death and subsequent loss of a brother or sister impacts upon the way that surviving siblings (continue to) construct their sense of self. It explores how people re-assess the established similarities and differences they shared with living siblings and re-negotiate their positioning within the chronological sibling birth order. In doing so, this article emphasises the sociological importance of lateral kinship ties with siblings, demonstrating that being and having a sibling can have lasting implications for the way that people perceive and present themselves, even after death. As such, the article concludes that the dead can continue to maintain an important and influential, albeit liminal, position in the webs of relationships in which people are embedded.

Autism and emotion recognition technologies in the workplace.

Technologies using artificial intelligence to recognize people's emotional states are increasingly being developed under the name of emotional recognition technologies. Emotion recognition technologies claim to identify people's emotional states based on data, like facial expressions. This is despite research providing counterevidence that emotion recognition technologies are founded on bad science and that it is not possible to correctly identify people's emotions in this way. The use of emotion recognition technologies is widespread, and they can be harmful when they are used in the workplace, especially for autistic workers. Although previous research has shown that the origins of emotion recognition technologies relied on autistic people, there has been little research on the impact of emotion recognition technologies on autistic people when it is used in the workplace. Through a review of recent academic studies, this article looks at the development and implementation processes of emotion recognition technologies to show how autistic people in particular may be disadvantaged or harmed by the development and use of the technologies. This article closes with a call for more research on autistic people's perception of the technologies and their impact, with involvement from diverse participants.

Online Art-Based Interventions from Peer Influencers to Reduce Mental Health Stigma: A Randomized-Controlled Trial

ABSTRACT Stigmatizing perceptions of people with mental health conditions continue to frame them as dangerous, weak-willed, flawed, and culpable for their symptoms. Guided by social contact and social role valorization theories, the present study consists of a randomized controlled trial of an asynchronous, online social contact intervention to reduce mental health stigma among members of the public (N = 318). Groups 1–3 viewed intervention posts including art and writing, art-only, and writing-only created by peer influencers self-identifying with mental health conditions on Instagram. Group 4 viewed matched comparison posts that were not about mental health. Results showed that participants in the intervention groups reported significantly higher mental health awareness, general sympathy, and appreciation for people with mental health conditions than those in the comparison group. All groups reported a significant decrease in prejudice. These results have implications for collaborating with peer influencers to develop and implement cost-effective online interventions to reduce mental health stigma.

The Antecedent of Life Insurance Penetration in Malaysia

A slower rate of economic growth is indicated by a low degree of market penetration for insurance. In contrast to other Asian countries, Malaysia has a comparatively low life insurance penetration rate of 54% throughout the five years before 2020. If Malaysia has a less advantageous rate of life insurance coverage, its citizens will be more financially vulnerable. The observation suggests that people are generally skeptical when discussing insurance-related topics. People's perceptions of insurance are often unfavorable. Now, most people think that getting insurance or being an agent is fraudulent. This is a result of a general lack of understanding about insurance. This study aims to identify or determine the possible causes of Malaysia's low life insurance penetration. Age, awareness, and service quality are the variables linked to life insurance's low uptake. We used a questionnaire to gather primary data, and all the results were evaluated. In Temerloh, Pahang, Malaysia, the researchers distributed the questionnaire to a sample of 150 respondents. To ascertain the research outcome, SPSS was used to analyze the collected data. The outcome of this study revealed that there is a substantial correlation between low life insurance penetration in Malaysia and age, awareness, and service quality.

Understanding How People Perceive and Interact with Public Space through Social Media Big Data: A Case Study of Xiamen, China

Public space is a crucial forum for public interaction and diverse activities among urban residents. Understanding how people interact with and perceive these spaces is essential for public placemaking. With billions of users engaging in social media expression and generating millions of data points every second, Social Media Big Data (SMBD) offers an invaluable lens for evaluating public spaces over time, surpassing traditional methods like surveys and questionnaires. This research introduces a comprehensive analytical framework that integrates SMBD with placemaking practices, specifically applied to the city of Xiamen, China. The result shows the social sentiment, vibrancy heatmaps, leisure activities, visitor behaviors, and preferred visual elements of Xiamen, offering urban designers valuable insights into the dynamic nature of citizen experiences. The findings underscore the potential of SMBD to inform and enhance public space design, providing a holistic approach to creating more inclusive, vibrant, and functional urban environments.

“I could 100% see myself getting hurt if I did it wrong”: a qualitative exploration of exercise perceptions in people with chronic low back pain

Purpose Traditionally, a specific “core” exercise focus has been favoured for chronic low back pain (CLBP) which contrasts holistic exercise approaches. This study aims to explore the perceptions of exercise in people with CLBP and whether exercise itself can convey implicit messages regarding its use in CLBP management in the absence of a clinical narrative. Materials and methods Participants were asked about their CLBP history, views of exercise for CLBP, and current exercise behaviours through online semi-structured interviews. Then, participants watched the interviewer perform the deadlift, Jefferson curl, and bird dog and were asked if they thought each individual exercise was beneficial for CLBP, and why. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis through a critical realism and social constructivism lens. Results All participants (n = 16) viewed all exercises as beneficial for health and pain relief, but perceived efficacy varied. “Core” exercises were deemed crucial for CLBP relief, while spinal flexion and external load were often perceived as potentially injurious. Distrust towards healthcare practitioners also influenced exercise perceptions. Conclusion People with CLBP perceive different exercises to either relieve pain or improve health. Healthcare practitioners can influence these perceptions, highlighting the need for consideration of exercise perceptions in clinical contexts.

Comparing place meanings of recreational visits to coastal and inland nature

Blue spaces are being increasingly linked to a public health agenda, as the presence of water increases perceived restorativeness. Much research has examined coastal nature experiences and sense of place in coastal areas specifically, but little research has attempted to compare sense of place across different types of natural environments. In this study, we used place meanings to investigate how people perceive, experience, and attach to coastal and inland natural environments, providing new insights into human-nature relations in coastal and inland environments in Denmark. The study uses a mixed methods approach, combining qualitative analysis of free-text responses from a national online PPGIS survey with statistical analysis of background information. Responses from 500 coastal and 500 inland nature visitors were analysed through an inductive coding process, which elicited one hundred different place meanings. These meanings were categorized according to Williams’ (2014) layers of tangible and intangible place meanings. The meaning layer distribution was similar between coastal and inland nature visits, just as the most frequent place meanings were similar across the environments (e.g., Nature, Nice, Forest, Walk). However, significant differences were found among some individual place meanings (e.g., Wild, Vacation, Healing and comfort were more frequent for coastal visits), suggesting special coastal place meanings that should be further explored in future research. The analysis of place meanings was supplemented by an analysis of relevant visit characteristics behind the 500 coastal and 500 inland visits, suggesting great attraction coupled to coastal places (e.g., longer travel distance).

Perceptions of Young People Regarding the Tax on Sweetened Drinks in Poland and an Assessment of Changes in Their Consumption in Terms of Taxation

In 2021, the tax on sweetened beverages was introduced in Poland. It is worth knowing how consumers, especially young people, perceive the tax and whether there are any changes in the consumption of such drinks. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2022 and analyzed a convenience sample of young people’s attitudes towards the effectiveness of the tax as well as beverage consumption in the second year of the tax’s implementation. This study was conducted using a questionnaire method among 334 young people (167 school students and 167 university students). The vast majority of the study participants (84%) had heard about the introduction of the tax (there was no statistically significant difference between the school students’ and the university students’ knowledge). Of these, 90% knew that beverages with added sugar are taxed, but only 43% were conscious that beverages with sweeteners are also subject to the tax. Forty percent of those surveyed believed that the introduction of the tax could reduce beverage consumption, while 35% denied this possibility. The view that the tax would have a beneficial effect on reducing drink consumption was statistically significantly more frequently expressed by school students compared to university students (55% vs. 25%; p < 0.05). Of those who were aware of the tax, 31% declared they drank fewer beverages following its introduction, while 58% reported that they had not changed the amount they drank. About 33% of the respondents said they drank sweetened beverages several times a week. According to the study, as a result of the tax, almost one-third of surveyed young Poles reported drinking less beverages than before the tax.

AI‐induced dehumanization

AbstractRecent technological advancements have empowered nonhuman entities, such as virtual assistants and humanoid robots, to simulate human intelligence and behavior. This paper investigates how autonomous agents influence individuals' perceptions and behaviors toward others, particularly human employees. Our research reveals that the socio‐emotional capabilities of autonomous agents lead individuals to attribute a humanlike mind to these nonhuman entities. Perceiving a high level of humanlike mind in the nonhuman, autonomous agents affects perceptions of actual people through an assimilation process. Consequently, we observe “assimilation‐induced dehumanization”: the humanness judgment of actual people is assimilated toward the lower humanness judgment of autonomous agents, leading to various forms of mistreatment. We demonstrate that assimilation‐induced dehumanization is mitigated when autonomous agents possess capabilities incompatible with humans, leading to a contrast effect (Study 2), and when autonomous agents are perceived as having a high level of cognitive capability only, resulting in a lower level of mind perception of these agents (Study 3). Our findings hold across various types of autonomous agents (embodied: Studies 1–2 and disembodied: Studies 3–5), as well as in real and hypothetical consumer choices.

Perception Of The Concept Of Death Among Children, Young And Older People And The Comparison Of These Perceptions: A Qualitative Study

Death is one of the most important concepts that make life meaningful and it is the inevitable end. From the moment we are born, we are one step closer to death with every passing second, and this creates the stage of consciousness that enables people to connect and make sense of life more tightly. Death, which means the definitive end of life, has been seen as an important event in all societies and in every period of life. The purpose of the current study is to determine and compare the perceptions of children, young people and older people about death through metaphors. The study is a qualitative research. A total of 192 people, 57 children, 63 young and 72 older people, determined on a voluntary basis constituted the sample of the study. A questionnaire form consisting of open-ended questions was used in the study. Descriptive analysis technique, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the analysis of the data. It was tried to determine with which metaphors the participants would present their perceptions of death and the common characteristics of the metaphors that would emerge. In the evaluation of the data obtained, content analysis method was used in accordance with the qualitative research design. According to the research findings, 29 metaphors were produced by the children, 37 by the young people and 46 by the older people to express the concept of death. The children compared the concept of death most with old age, sadness, grave, accident, earth, sleep, ending, separation; the young people compared it most with beginning, extinction, exam, loneliness, longing, leaf, fear and the older people compared it most with migration, destiny, happiness, reunion, longing, salvation, bridge. The children predominantly expressed death with negative metaphors, the young people used lively metaphors drawn from life experiences while the older people often portrayed death with positive metaphors. The metaphors created by the children, young and older people were categorized into groups. The metaphors generated by individuals regarding the concept of death and the categories formed from these metaphors reveal how the concept of death is perceived..

Real World Evidence of User Experience with Microenemas for Relief of Constipation.

Constipation is a commonly reported gastrointestinal complaint. Research on this widespread condition focuses mainly on clinical trials for chronic constipation with less emphasis on patient experience and nonchronic situations. Sufferers report that constipation interferes with daily activities and quality of life. It is likely that this is common among all sufferers of constipation, regardless of how often the condition is experienced. This work explored attitudes and perceptions of people who experience occasional constipation and self-treat with over the counter products, particularly Microlax® microenemas. In this retrospective study, real-world data were collected from 1635 respondents from France and Russia who experienced occasional constipation. Participants completed a questionnaire about their experiences with occasional (not chronic) constipation and perceptions of over the counter treatments of oral laxatives, suppositories, and Microlax microenemas. Questions focused on comfort, quality of life, ease of use, and reliability of these treatments. Participants had used the microenema for treatment of occasional constipation within 3 months of study participation. Occasional constipation was based on the Rome IV diagnostic criteria for adults and babies. Data were analyzed across the total population of all groups, then by subgroup. Success criteria were defined as of at least 70% agreement with the statements scoring ≥ 7 on the scale of 0-10. The proportion of respondents agreeing with the individual statements was calculated using the denominator for the total sample within each group. This study shows that experiencing even occasional bouts of constipation negatively affect quality of life and well-being. Participants (women aged 25-54 years, older men, and women aged 60-80 years) reported that it severely limited daily life and activities and caused negative emotions and embarrassment. Pregnant women and mothers with babies showed great concern that constipation indicated a serious and painful condition and was bad for their babies. Participants agreed that using Microlax microenema provided greater ease of use, comfort, reliability, and safety than oral laxatives and rectal suppositories. Sufferers of occasional constipation report that these bouts interfere with their daily lives and reduce quality of life, similar to what is reported for those with chronic constipation based on existing literature. The microenema, Microlax, showed benefits in the relief of occasional constipation compared with oral laxatives and rectal suppositories. Trepidation about using the microenema, experienced before using it, was greatly reduced after the first and subsequent uses. Microlax microenema enabled users to regain the feeling of control and provided positive impacts on quality of life and well-being.

Religious Myths and the Internalization of Non-Leadership Identities in Nigerian Women: A Symbolic Interactionist Analysis

Despite concerted efforts to promote gender equity in the global space, women remain underrepresented in leadership. This trend is most observed in Nigeria, where of the 49.99 percent of women in the population, only 6.7 percent are in elective and appointive political positions. Research suggests that men are usually seen as more capable leaders, even when women have higher qualifications. This paper attempts to investigate the etymology of this notion within the postcolonial framework and feminist research while drawing on a social psychology theory. Using the symbolic interactionist theory, I examine why/how the gender in which divinity is conceptualized sets the stage for stereotypes that inform a people's perception and conception of reality, thereby influencing how the attributes associated with the feminine and masculine are perceived in society. My argument is that the functionality of the symbolization process in religious myths is connected to the conscious and unconscious processes of human thought, perception, imagination, and intuition; therefore, it relates to epistemology as a means of knowledge. This makes it function dialectically and interpretively with the social processes, enabling outcomes such as the masculinization of the social reality and the internalization of non-leadership identities in women.

Belief in conspiracy theories and satisfaction in interpersonal relationships

AbstractResearchers have theorized about how belief in conspiracy theories can negatively affect interpersonal relationships. However, despite growing anecdotal evidence of the effects that conspiracy theories seem to have on people's relationships, a systematic assessment of these effects is lacking. In seven studies (six of them preregistered, N = 2526), we examined whether people's perceptions of others' conspiracy beliefs were negatively associated with their actual (or anticipated) relationship satisfaction with those others. We found that participants' perceptions of their social contacts' beliefs in general (Pilot Studies 1–2) and specific conspiracy theories (Study 1) were negatively associated with their relationship satisfaction with those contacts. Using a hypothetical scenario, we further observed that participants anticipated that their relationship satisfaction would worsen when one of these social contacts explicitly endorsed (vs. opposed) a conspiracy theory (Studies 2, 3a, and 3b). Finally, participants expected lower relationship satisfaction with a stranger who endorsed (vs. opposed) a conspiracy theory in their online dating profile (Study 4). Importantly, across all studies we observed that participants' own conspiracy beliefs moderated the association between others' conspiracy beliefs and relationship satisfaction, revealing a similarity–dissimilarity pattern: although the association was negative among participants with weaker conspiracy beliefs, we observed signals of reversal among participants with stronger conspiracy beliefs. Our findings further suggest that a process of attitudinal distancing (among other relational changes) could explain why perceived conspiracy beliefs negatively predicted relationship satisfaction. Taken together, this research provides evidence that conspiracy beliefs have the potential to harm interpersonal relationships.

Provider perceptions of young people living with HIV and unhealthy alcohol use in Southwestern Uganda: a qualitative study

BackgroundUnhealthy alcohol use is a common public health problem in HIV care settings in Africa and it affects the HIV continuum of care. In Uganda and other low-income countries, HIV care providers are a key resource in caring for young people (15–24 years) living with HIV (YPLH) with unhealthy alcohol use. Caring for YPLH largely depends on care providers’ perceptions of the problem. However, data that explores HIV care providers’ perceptions about caring for YPLH with unhealthy drinking are lacking in Uganda. We sought to describe the perceptions of HIV care providers regarding caring for YPLH with unhealthy drinking in the Immune Suppression Syndrome (ISS) Clinic of Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital in southwestern Uganda.MethodsWe used semi-structured in-depth interviews (IDIs) to qualitatively explore HIV care providers’ perceptions regarding caring for YPLH with unhealthy alcohol use. The study was conducted at the adolescent immunosuppression (ISS) clinic of Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital. Interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Using thematic content analysis, data from 10 interviews were analyzed.ResultsHIV care providers were concerned and intended to care for YPLH with unhealthy alcohol use. They understood that unhealthy drinking negatively impacts HIV care outcomes and used counseling, peer support, and referrals to routinely intervene. They however, did not apply other known interventions such as health education, medications and follow-up visits because these required family and institutional support which was largely lacking. Additional barriers that HCPs faced in caring for YPLH included; gaps in knowledge and skills required to address alcohol use in young patients, heavy workloads that hindered the provision of psychosocial interventions, late payment of and low remunerations, lack of improvement in some YPLH, and inadequate support from both their families and hospital management.ConclusionHIV care providers are important stakeholders in the identification and care of YPLH with unhealthy alcohol use in Southwestern Uganda. There is a need to train and skill HCPs in unhealthy alcohol use care. Such training ought to target the attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived control of the providers.

‘Their role has a lot of purpose beyond being just being about exercises’: a qualitative study of patients’ experiences of physiotherapy following a mild traumatic brain injury

Following a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI; also known as concussion), physiotherapists may be involved in injury identification, assessment and rehabilitation. However, how people perceive and experience the physiotherapist’s role...

The Environmental Perception and Vegetarian Motivation of People in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Abstract Studies have previously shown that there were many vegetarian movements in the world, using many different models to indicate vegetarian food choice behavior. Among the factors affecting the motivation to become a vegetarian, perception and attitude are considered important factors influencing the decision to switch from using foods of animal origin to plant-based ones. There are many measured aspects of perception ranging from health, religion, love of animals, or animal rights. Among these, environmental perception increasingly shows a clear influence on vegetarian motivation, especially for young people. This current study aims to find out whether factors relating to perception including environmental perception, influence people’s motivation to become vegetarian in Ho Chi Minh City. To achieve this goal, the research surveyed 360 people living in Ho Chi Minh City (divided into three groups (students, office workers, and manual workers) using a direct questionnaire. Research results show that among the four independent variables (perception, ability, opportunity, barriers), there are three variables (1) perception; (2) opportunity; and (3) barriers having a significant relationship with the vegetarian motivation of people in Ho Chi Minh City. From the findings, this study points out key highlights in people’s current vegetarian food choices in this area, including environmental perception.

The effect of self-regulatory program based on Leventhal’s model on the illness perception and resilience of people with multiple sclerosis

The effect of self-regulatory program based on Leventhal’s model on the illness perception and resilience of people with multiple sclerosis