Mapping obstacles in governmental risk and crisis communication during prolonged crises: a six-country study

Purpose This study examines the conditions and challenges faced by governments in communicating during prolonged, with the COVID-19 pandemic as the illustrative case. Particular attention is given to the perspectives of actors directly involved in communication efforts, especially in how they make sense of their experiences, challenges and strategies. Design/methodology/approach Using an international comparative design, the study draws on in-depth interviews with 60 representatives from executive, public health and public relations sectors across six countries (Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States) and multiple levels of governance. The representatives were asked to describe the obstacles in government communication during the pandemic, how they sought to address them and the solutions they proposed for future protracted crises. Findings The findings reveal a wide range of intra-, inter- and extra-organizational challenges shaping crisis communication. More than 20 obstacles are identified and organized into four domains: (1) the nature of the crisis, (2) intra-organizational factors, (3) inter-agency and inter-governmental coordination and (4) a complex, multimodal and polarized communication environment. Despite this diversity, seven key challenges emerge consistently across countries and governance levels. Practical implications The study proposes a framework that highlights structural and contextual factors shaping government crisis communication and provides strategic recommendations for improving communication in prolonged crises. Originality/value By foregrounding the perspectives of government communicators across countries (rare in existing research), this study offers a comparative, empirically grounded understanding of crisis communication challenges and advances theory through a typology and explanatory framework.