Risk Perception towards COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Qualitative Synthesis

Sabrina Cipolletta, Gabriela Rios Andreghetti and Giovanna Mioni
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Sabrina Cipolletta: Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, 35122 Padova, Italy
Gabriela Rios Andreghetti: Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, 35122 Padova, Italy
Giovanna Mioni: Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, 35122 Padova, Italy

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 8, 1-25

Abstract: Several studies have attempted to identify how people’s risk perceptions differ in regard to containing COVID-19 infections. The aim of the present review was to illustrate how risk awareness towards COVID-19 predicts people’s preventive behaviors and to understand which features are associated with it. For the review, 77 articles found in six different databases ( ProQuest , PsycInfo , PubMed , Science Direct , SCOPUS , and Web of Science ) were considered, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines was followed, and data synthesis was conducted using a mixed-methods approach. The results indicate that a high-risk perception towards COVID-19 predicts, in general, compliance with preventive behaviors and social distancing measures. Additionally, risk awareness was found to be associated with four other key themes: demographic factors, individual factors, geographical factors, and timing. Therefore, gaining a greater understanding of individual and cultural differences as well as how people behave could be the basis of an effective strategy for raising public risk awareness and for countering COVID-19.

Keywords: coronavirus; COVID-19; health; pandemic; risk perception; systematic review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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