Making Sense or Non-Sense? Communicating COVID-19 Guidelines to Young Adults at Danish Folk High Schools

Thilde Vildekilde (), Julie Jakobsen Connelly, Charlotte Sophie van Houten, Jakob Thestrup Hansen, Jane Brandt Sørensen, Dan Wolf Meyrowitsch and Flemming Konradsen
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Thilde Vildekilde: Global Health Section, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5, 1353 Copenhagen K, Denmark
Julie Jakobsen Connelly: Global Health Section, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5, 1353 Copenhagen K, Denmark
Charlotte Sophie van Houten: Global Health Section, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5, 1353 Copenhagen K, Denmark
Jakob Thestrup Hansen: Global Health Section, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5, 1353 Copenhagen K, Denmark
Jane Brandt Sørensen: Global Health Section, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5, 1353 Copenhagen K, Denmark
Dan Wolf Meyrowitsch: Global Health Section, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5, 1353 Copenhagen K, Denmark
Flemming Konradsen: Global Health Section, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5, 1353 Copenhagen K, Denmark

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 3, 1-16

Abstract: Little is known about young people’s behaviors and responses under outbreaks of infectious diseases such as the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in institutional settings. This research investigated the reactions of young adults residing at Danish folk high schools (FHSs) towards COVID-19 guidelines and the communicative styles used to enforce COVID-19 guidelines. The qualitative data consists of focus group discussions (FGDs) with students, interviews with staff, and participant observations, as well as survey data from 1800 students. This study showed that young adults reacted negatively when first faced with the new reality of COVID-19 restrictions. They expressed distress over the loss of meaning (non-sense), loss of sense of community, as well as uncertainty. Hygiene guidelines, however, made immediate sense and were socially well accepted. Most FHSs actively involved students in risk communication and creative examples of community-building communication were identified. This study demonstrates that successful risk communication at educational institutions must take into consideration how young adults make sense of and cope with the uncertainties of life during crisis situations including epidemics.

Keywords: COVID-19; qualitative research; risk communication; boarding schools; young adults; sense of community (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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