Cross-sectional study reveals biased infection and fatality risk perceptions in Japanese survey respondents, highlighting the need for clear public health communication.
Abstract We conducted a large-scale online survey in February 2023 to investigate the perceptions of infection and fatality risks from COVID-19 in Japan. Univariate analysis comparing perceived and actual risk suggests prevalence of overestimation as well as non-negligible underestimation of COVID-19 risks in Japan. Multivariate logistic regression analysis reveals that age, income and educational levels, health status, information sources, and experiences related to COVID-19 are associated with the subjective assessments of infection and fatality risks. Given that risk perceptions are closely correlated with daily socio-economic activities and well-being, it is important for policymakers and public health experts to understand how to communicate COVID-19 risks to the public effectively.
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Chiba et al. (2024) studied this question.
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