Public Fear Research Articles

News Media Imaginaries of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: A Qualitative Analysis Across China, Germany, and the United States

Artificial intelligence (AI) has attracted much public interest, inspiring both hopes and fears. As countries define pathways for developing and implementing AI, healthcare is emerging as a priority sector. Sociotechnical imaginaries, which can mobilize public support and attract resources for realising sociotechnical visions, play an important role in the trajectories of emerging technologies. News media, in turn, are central to the negotiation, construction, and promotion of such imaginaries. We analyze how news media construct sociotechnical imaginaries of AI in healthcare in China, Germany, and the United States (US), three countries with differing healthcare and media systems, and sociopolitical and -cultural outlook on technologies. Drawing from a thematic analysis of articles from 15 newspapers, we find two powerful, cross-national, collectively held imaginaries: The first imaginary on enhancing healthcare with AI emerged across all three countries; the second imaginary on using AI to manage pandemics or epidemics was only fully developed in Chinese and US coverage, though present as an outlier in German news coverage. Lower-level divergences within each imaginary can be explained by systemic differences between the countries, such as the largely private US healthcare system, the mostly state-controlled Chinese media and healthcare systems, and the German hesitancy toward emerging technologies. This study provides evidence for how powerful imaginaries can emerge across very different sociopolitical and cultural contexts while accounting for contextual national factors.

Dr Associate Professor

Background: Most women do not desire pregnancy immediately after delivery and are highly motivated to accept family planning methods. The post partum intrauterine device is one of the family planning methods that can address this need. According to prior reports intrauterine device use has been very low from the contraceptive method mix. Objective: To assess barriers to postpartum intra uterine device uptake among mothers who delivered at two public hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Method: It is an institution based cross-sectional study. Simple random sampling method was used to select study participants. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis were used to determine the presence and strength of association between uptake of post partum intrauterine device and independent variables. Result: In this study the uptake of postpartum intrauterine contraceptive device was 11% (95%CI=8.0, 14). The stated barriers for the none uptake of post partum intrauterine device were fear and concern (61.6%), religions value for family planning (16.9%), husband and relative opinion (7%), culture norm (5%) and health provider related factor (5% (17/367)). Parity and mode of delivery were significantly associated post partum intrauterine device uptake. The odds of intrauterine contraceptive device utilization for mothers with previous number of deliveries of ?3 and 1-2 were 35 (AOR=34.8, 95%CI=7.33, 165.4) and 4 (AOR=4.2, 95%CI=1.47, 12.07) times higher than those with no previous delivery. In addition, assisted vaginal delivery had 11 (AOR=11.06, 95%CI=3.26, 37.5) times increased odds of intrauterine contraceptive device uptake than SVD. Conclusion and recommendations: The uptake of post partum intrauterine device was low (11%). The main barriers identified for the low uptake were fear and concern to myth and misconceptions, religions value for family planning, husband and relative opinion, culture norm and health provider related factors. To identify and address reasons for gaps in knowledge and to clear public misconceptions and fears further large scale studies are recommended. Key-words: PPIUD, Contraception, post partum, Ethiopia.

Analysis of the Application of Freudian Theory in the Pattern of Fascist Propaganda in Indonesia

Propaganda is a powerful tool for shaping public perception, especially in the context of fascism. This study analyzes the application of Freudian theory to fascist propaganda in Indonesia, particularly during the New Order era under Soeharto’s regime. Fascism in Indonesia began in 1933 with the rise of organizations like the Nederlandsche Indische Fascisten Organisatie (NIFO) and the Indonesian Fascist Party (PFI). During the New Order, propaganda was used to manipulate public opinion, suppress opposition, and maintain power. This research employs a qualitative literature review method, analyzing historical records, media sources, and academic writings. The study specifically examines how Freudian concepts, such as unconscious fears and mass psychology, were used to influence public perceptions, particularly in relation to the G30S/PKI case. The findings reveal that the regime exploited public fears of communism, using propaganda to justify repression and control. This research highlights the importance of understanding the psychological underpinnings of propaganda and suggests that further studies could explore the broader implications of these techniques in different political contexts.

Mobility of non-binary and gender nonconforming individuals: A systematic literature review

The gendered nature of travel behaviours and experiences have long been recognised in research and policy making. However, research on non-binary people and their mobility is scarce, as is the acknowledgement of a spectrum nature of gender within the transportation discipline. This paper presents the first systematic literature review, using PRISMA guidelines, of the mobility and travel experiences of non-binary people. The review identified that to date the main research domains for non-binary people's mobility considered issues of harassment and violence on public transit, fear, security measures, intersectionality, and strategies to deal with discrimination. The paper highlights spatial and geographical constraints, such as immobility and inaccessibility, that non-binary people face when interacting with public transportation system. Strategies to improve mobility for the gender nonconforming community included upgrading public transport stations, increasing funding for public transportation, and providing gender diversity training for transit workers. The findings draw attention to the need for substantial further transportation research into the field. By including non-binary perspectives in transport research, a unique range of insights and experiences can be unlocked, while increasing inclusivity in transport research.

Development of a machine learning algorithm for fake news detection

With the extensive technological advancements and expansion, the persistent issues regarding the creation and rapid dissemination of fake news have become a prevalent and recurrent concern. The manipulation of news content has critical repercussions, such as causing public mistrust, fear, harm, and misinformation. Addressing that, this study developed a supervised machine learning algorithm that can accurately classify social media data as fake news. The methodology of the proposed fake news detection model involved five main components: data acquisition from Twitter, data preprocessing, data transformation, model development using Naïve Bayes, decision tree, and support vector machine (SVM) and model evaluation using accuracy, precision, recall and F1-score. The results revealed that decision tree recorded the highest accuracy for both textual data (100%) and metadata (94.54%) and consistently outperformed both Naïve Bayes and SVM in terms of precision, recall, and F1-score metrics, with a score of 100% for the classification of textual data-based datasets. Regarding the metadata-based classification, decision tree also demonstrated excellent performance, with the highest F1-score of 94% for fake news data. Meanwhile, SVM exhibited the highest precision and recall performance for the metadata-based classification. Overall, the application of the decision tree classifier was deemed the most effective in Twitter fake news detection.

Moral panic and (in)security

Abstract This study examines Trump’s depiction of Hispanic and Latinx immigrants, highlighting his use of moral panic to activate fear and thereby deepen societal divisions within a broader right-wing populist agenda. Analyzing nearly half a million words from Trump’s tweets using corpus-assisted critical discourse analysis, the research reveals that he portrays Hispanic and Latinx immigrants as the ‘object of offence,’ amplifying their perceived threat while ‘scapegoating’ political adversaries and other nations. As a ‘moral entrepreneur,’ he and his allies position themselves as protectors against this perceived danger, warning of severe ‘consequences’ for national security and the economy if left unaddressed. Their ‘corrective action’ involves implementing strict immigration policies, with the ‘desired outcome’ being enhanced security and economic prosperity. The study demonstrates how the deployment of moral panic generates public fear and insecurity, legitimizing anti-immigrant sentiments and justifying stringent measures. This, in turn, reinforces right-wing populism narratives with significant societal implications.

Overview of TB Patient Compliance for Control during the Covid-19 Pandemic at the UGM RSA TB Clinic

Tuberculosis (TB) is a public health problem that is a global challenge and is the third leading cause of death in Indonesia and the first leading cause of death due to infectious diseases. Based on data from the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia, there has been a decrease in the number of TB cases found and treated. As one of the strategies to control risk factors for TB disease transmission, RSA UGM provides a special clinic for TB patients whose rooms meet national standards. However, several times researchers found that there were still TB patients who controlled outside the TB clinic schedule so that they mingled with non-TB patients, which resulted in increasing the risk of TB disease transmission to patients visiting the UGM Hospital. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Covid-19 a pandemic on 9 March 2020. This has caused public fear to visit health facilities. This study aims to determine the level of compliance of TB patient visits during the Covid-19 pandemic at the UGM RSA TB Clinic. This descriptive observational study used secondary data, with a total sampling technique and analyses using univariate analysis. Of the 40 samples that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 92.5% of patients were in the productive age range (18-65 years), mostly male (70%). The proportion of patients with pulmonary TB was 62.5% and the remaining 37.5% were extra- pulmonary TB patients. There was an increase in adherence of TB patients to control at the TB clinic and on schedule from month 1 to the following months.

Stage Fright to Scholarly Flight: The Impact of Public Speaking Anxiety and Fear of Negative Evaluation on Academic Performance in University Students

Stage Fright to Scholarly Flight: The Impact of Public Speaking Anxiety and Fear of Negative Evaluation on Academic Performance in University Students

Public perceptions of international genetic information sharing for biomedical research in China: a case study of the social media debate on the article “A Pangenome Reference of 36 Chinese Populations” published in Nature

BackgroundThe international disclosure of Chinese human genetic data continues to be a contentious issue in China, generating public debates in both traditional and social media channels. Concerns have intensified after Chinese scientists’ research on pangenome data was published in the prestigious journal Nature.MethodsThis study scrutinized microblogs posted on Weibo, a popular Chinese social media site, in the two months immediately following the publication (June 14, 2023–August 21, 2023). Content analysis was conducted to assess the nature of public responses, justifications for positive or negative attitudes, and the users’ overall knowledge of how Chinese human genetic information is regulated and managed in China.ResultsWeibo users displayed contrasting attitudes towards the article’s public disclose of pangenome research data, with 18% positive, 64% negative, and 18% neutral. Positive attitudes came primarily from verified government and media accounts, which praised the publication. In contrast, negative attitudes originated from individual users who were concerned about national security and health risks and often believed that the researchers have betrayed China. The benefits of data sharing highlighted in the commentaries included advancements in disease research and scientific progress. Approximately 16% of the microblogs indicated that Weibo users had misunderstood existing regulations and laws governing data sharing and stewardship.ConclusionsBased on the predominantly negative public attitudes toward scientific data sharing established by our study, we recommend enhanced outreach by scientists and scientific institutions to increase the public understanding of developments in genetic research, international data sharing, and associated regulations. Additionally, governmental agencies can alleviate public fears and concerns by being more transparent about their security reviews of international collaborative research involving Chinese human genetic data and its cross-border transfer.

Role of Media Representation in Shaping Public Perceptions of Crime in Tanzania

Purpose: The aim of the study was to analyze the role of media representation in shaping public perceptions of crime in Tanzania. Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: Media representation plays a significant role in shaping public perceptions of crime in Tanzania by influencing how crime is perceived and understood by the general population. Sensationalized reporting and frequent coverage of violent crimes create a heightened sense of fear and insecurity, often leading to a distorted view of the prevalence and nature of crime. This can result in public demand for stricter law enforcement and punitive measures, sometimes disproportionately affecting certain communities. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Research on the role of media representation in shaping public perceptions of crime in Tanzania highlights several key points. Media coverage often emphasizes sensational or high-profile crimes, which can inflate public fear and skew perceptions of crime rates. Sensationalism and biased reporting contribute to distorted views, reinforcing stereotypes and increasing public anxiety. This media influence also affects policy and law enforcement responses, as crime coverage can shift political priorities and lead to reactive measures. Social media exacerbates these effects by spreading unverified information rapidly, adding to public concern.

The Invisible Impact of Conflict: A Study of Terrorism, Regime Type, and the Shadow Economy

Does terrorism contribute to the growth of the shadow economy? While extensive literature has delved into the causes and consequences of terrorism, little has been studied on its impact on the shadow economy. Employing data on terrorism and the shadow economies of 116 countries from 1990 to 2017, we demonstrate that terrorism results in an increase in the size of the shadow economy and that the effect is larger in autocracies. We argue that the economic and social impacts of terrorism create environments that reinforce both exit and exclusion factors through the erosion of institutional trust and social capital, ultimately incentivizing or compelling actors to seek alternative methods of economic activities. Furthermore, a lack of free and horizontal information-sharing venues to address public fear and repressive counterterrorism measures in autocracies further hamper the economic pursuits of individuals, businesses, and foreign investors, facilitating their engagement in informal economic activities.

Public Fear of Pancreatic Diseases: Causes and Clinical Outcomes at a Single Korean Center.

The public fear of pancreatic diseases including pancreatic cancer (PC) appears to be growing. The aims of this study were to evaluate the causes of fear of pancreatic diseases and assess clinical outcomes of such individuals. This was a retrospective study of 249 individuals who visited the Pancreatobiliary Diseases Center at Ewha Womans University Seoul Hospital due to the fear of pancreatic diseases between January 2019 and August 2021. Those referred from other departments or external medical facilities were excluded. Collected data included demographic details, comorbidities, causes of fear of pancreatic diseases, and the presence of pancreatic lesions in imaging studies. The median age was 55 years (range, 22 to 82 years). One hundred eleven subjects (44.6%) were male. The causes of fear of pancreatic diseases were abdominal pain (n=144, 57.8%), back pain (n=114, 45.8%), body weight change (n=35, 14.1%), family history of pancreatic diseases (n=32, 12.9%), and others (n=39, 15.7%). Within the group with family history of pancreatic diseases, 25 subjects had a first-degree relative with PC. Of the 200 subjects who underwent imaging, there was no evidence of pancreatic diseases in 182 (91.0%). Pancreatic lesions identified were cystic lesions (n=15, 7.5%), non-specific calcification (n=1, 0.5%), lipoma (n=1, 0.5%), and solid tumor (n=1, 0.5%), later diagnosed as unresectable PC. Abdominal pain and back pain were the major causes of fear of pancreatic diseases. The prevalence of PC among those who underwent imaging was 0.5%. Such characteristics should be considered when consulting individuals with fear of pancreatic diseases.

Community Awareness and Perception Regarding Vaccination against COVID-19, Concerns about Side Effects in Gezira State, Sudan

Introduction: Vaccine hesitancy is undermining individual and community protection from vaccine-preventable diseases. This study aimed to investigate the level of awareness and perception of the COVID-19 vaccine and its determinants among people in Wad Madani City, Gezira State, as well as its known side effects. Methods and Results: This cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlative study included 400 participants (56.8% females and 43.2% males) who visited Wad Madani neighborhood COVID-19 centers during the data collection period (June 2022). The data was collected using a structured questionnaire based on prior published studies. Approximately 93.0% of the participants knew the importance of the COVID-19 vaccines, 84.8% knew about their effectiveness, and 83.8% knew that the vaccines help to reduce the risk of virus infection. However, only 58.0% were vaccinated against COVID-19. The results showed that 56.8% of the participants did not develop side effects. Among those who did, the most common side effects were headache and fever (10.2%), injection site pain (7.9%), myalgia (7.1%), and chills and swelling (5.6%). The results showed that 52.5% had negative perceptions of the COVID-19 vaccines. Urban residents were 2.17 times more likely to have a positive perception of the COVID-19 vaccine than rural residents (P=0.05). Furthermore, study participants with nuclear family type have shown a positive attitude toward the COVID-19 vaccines and were 2.32 times more likely to have had a positive attitude than participants with extended family (P=0.036). Moreover, participants not vaccinated were found to be less likely to have had a positive attitude toward the COVID-19 vaccine, when compared with vaccinated participants (P= 0.005). Conclusion: Although society is aware of the need for COVID-19 immunization, the community has a low positive perception toward COVID-19 vaccination. Similarly, people in rural areas are less aware of the significance of immunization. Local health officials must collaborate to address public fears about vaccinations through the media.

Chinese college students' mental health during the first three months of the COVID-19 pandemic: the protective role of family functioning.

Various psychological theories suggest that a supportive family environment protects the mental health of young adults during stressful life events. However, evidence is limited regarding the protective role of family support during a major public health crisis. To examine the role of family functioning on mental health among Chinese college students during first stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Between January-March 2020, 1,555 college students (44% female, on average 19 years old) from five Chinese universities participated. Participants rated their family functioning on the Family APGAR Index and their mental health on the Psychological Questionnaires for Emergent Events of Public Health, measuring depression, neurasthenia, fear, obsessive-anxiety and hypochondriasis. Better family functioning was associated with having fewer psychological symptoms. In addition, we identified three mental health profiles related to the severity across the psychological symptoms: Low-level, medium-level and high-level symptom clusters. Latent profile analysis showed that as family function improved, students were, respectively, 16 to 24% more likely to be in the low-level symptom group, compared to being in the medium symptom group or the high-level symptom group. These results support the notion that family support may act as a psychological buffer for young adults during a large-scale public health crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Public fear or public sphere? A content analysis of user comments on Egyptian newspaper Facebook pages

This content analysis examined posts and user comments on four of the most followed Egyptian newspaper Facebook pages: Al-Masry Al-Youm, Al-Youm Al-Saba’, Al-Shorouk and Al-Ahram. The purpose of the analysis was to assess the extent to which Egyptians are able to navigate ongoing government authoritarianism to self-express online. Contrary to expectations, the results indicate that Facebook page size appears to be a much more important factor in dictating the conditions of Egyptian news spheres than editorial policies and ownership structures. Overall, this suggests that current authoritarian conditions in Egypt have rendered editorial lines relatively unimportant.

Civil Society Involvement in Managing the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of a Large and Congested Urban Community in Bangkok, Thailand.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted Thailand, including urban centers like Bangkok and surrounding areas, highlighting a critical need for effective management within densely populated communities to mitigate its effects. This qualitative study sought to explore community management strategies developed in Khlong Toei, a large, congested urban community in Bangkok, Thailand. Seven in-depth interviews (n=7), six focus groups (n=23), and two brainstorming sessions (n=12) were conducted for this study. Data were collected using Zoom, an online communication platform, and through on-site interviews between August 2021 and March 2022 in the congested urban community of Bangkok, Thailand. The data were analyzed using content analysis. All informants (age range: 20-66 years, female respondents: 73.33%) were recruited by a community leader and the abbot of Saphan Temple, the community waiting area in Khlong Toei. The findings revealed two main themes: (1) Caring people, including two subthemes, and (2) Caring community, including two subthemes. The study's findings provide guiding inputs for management of public fear to prevent emerging or re-emerging infectious pandemics within congested urban communities.

Applied cratology and the political process through the prism of the scientific heritage of E. I. Kozlova

The will of the multinational people of Russia is the basis of the political process of a modern state. The values enshrined in the Constitution of the Russian Federation are a guideline for the political process, legal consolidation of goals and objectives facing the state and civil society; the basis for specific legal regulation and act as a criterion for balancing various interests. The article analyzes the creative heritage of Professor E. I. Kozlova in terms of her study of fundamental issues of the theory of democracy and various forms of its manifestation and mechanisms of implementation. Over the course of many years of her creative life, Ekaterina Ivanovna Kozlova has studied the evolution of the conceptual foundations of democracy in the Russian Federation, the quintessence of which is the will of the people. In light of the constitutional amendments of 2020 and the digitalization of state and public life, ideas, fears and judgments about the significance of the will of the people of the classics of state (constitutional) law take on a new meaning. The institutionalization of the political process and its legal concept is the basis of the modern theory of practical cratology. The author’s vision of the constitutional design of the foundations, tasks and subjects of the political process is proposed.

Competence or Experience

Competence or Experience

Trust at Risk: The Effect of Proximity to Cyberattacks

Abstract Proximity is a core feature of theories of political violence, with the effects of attacks rippling outward so that geographically proximate individuals experience more severe effects than those more distant. However, this model of proximity and exposure is unlikely to recur for cyberattacks. The incorporeality of cyber incidents and the absence of a physical epicenter constrain the mechanism coupling physical distance with harm. To empirically test the relationship between proximity and cyberattacks, we conducted a field study involving 707 German respondents following a ransomware attack in Düsseldorf. We find that the classical “ripple effect” is reversed, with political trust highest among people closer to the attack and lowest among those geographically distant. We postulate that in the absence of firsthand exposure to its effects, geographically distant individuals employ abstract conceptions of the consequences of cyber incidents that do not align with actual events. Consequently, distance does not confer security, and it can even amplify the adverse effects of exposure. This finding highlights the need for governments to actively work to assuage public fears following cyberattacks.

From Kimono to Big Mac: An Analysis of Russian Internet Queries as a Reflection of Stereotypes Forming Images of the Other

The study addresses the analysis of the ethnic “Other” images in the stereotypes of Russians, utilizing data from internet searches in Yandex and Google search engines. The primary issue is to understand how frequently encountered queries reflect cultural representations and biases, shaping the collective perception of various ethnic groups. The aim of the article is to analyze and comprehend the dynamics of public opinions and views on various aspects of other cultures, including dietary, vestimentary, and sexual habits. The research focuses on identifying key markers that Russians associate with different ethnicities.
 The results demonstrate that the analysis of internet search queries can reflect a comprehensive level of public interest, fears, and apprehensions towards the cultural “Other.” The study provides a detailed view of the various forms of societal response, ranging from interest and curiosity to fears and prejudices. The analysis also revealed significant moments of intensification of interethnic tensions and changes in public discourse, particularly in the context of perceiving and interpreting cultural differences.
 The conclusions of the research emphasize the importance of an objective analysis of internet queries for understanding public views and opinions about different ethnic groups. The article will be useful for researchers in the fields of cultural studies, sociology, and for those interested in studying the dynamics of cultural interaction and the perception of the ethnic “Other” in contemporary society.