Journal article 1080 views 150 downloads
Public perceptions of non-adherence to pandemic protection measures by self and others: A study of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom
,
Christopher J. Armitage,
Tova Tampe,
Kim Dienes
PLOS ONE, Volume: 16, Issue: 10, Start page: e0258781
Swansea University Authors:
Simon Williams , Kim Dienes
-
PDF | Version of Record
© 2021 Williams et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License
Download (422.52KB)
DOI (Published version): 10.1371/journal.pone.0258781
Abstract
BackgroundNovel viral pandemics present significant challenges to global public health. Non-pharmaceutical interventions (e.g. social distancing) are an important means through which to control the transmission of such viruses. One of the key factors determining the effectiveness of such measures is...
| Published in: | PLOS ONE |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1932-6203 |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2021
|
| Online Access: |
Check full text
|
| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa58357 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Abstract: |
BackgroundNovel viral pandemics present significant challenges to global public health. Non-pharmaceutical interventions (e.g. social distancing) are an important means through which to control the transmission of such viruses. One of the key factors determining the effectiveness of such measures is the level of public adherence to them. Research to date has focused on quantitative exploration of adherence and non-adherence, with a relative lack of qualitative exploration of the reasons for non-adherence.ObjectiveTo explore participants’ perceptions of non-adherence to COVID-19 policy measures by self and others in the UK, focusing on perceived reasons for non-adherence.MethodsQualitative study comprising 12 focus groups conducted via video-conferencing between 25th September and 13th November 2020. Participants were 51 UK residents aged 18 and above, reflecting a range of ages, genders and race/ethnicities. Data were analysed using a thematic approach.ResultsParticipants reported seeing an increase in non-adherence in others over the course of the pandemic. Reports of non-adherence in self were lower than reports of non-adherence in others. Analysis revealed six main themes related to participants’ reported reasons for non-adherence in self and others: (1) ‘Alert fatigue’ (where people find it difficult to follow, or switch off from, information about frequently changing rules or advice) (2) Inconsistent rules (3) Lack of trust in government (4) Learned Helplessness (5) Resistance and rebelliousness (6)The impact of vaccines on risk perception. Participants perceived a number of systemic failures (e.g. unclear policy, untrustworthy policymakers) to strongly contribute to two forms non-adherence—violations and errors.ConclusionFindings suggest that latent and systemic failures—in the form of policy decisions that are commonly experienced as too changeable, inconsistent and confusing, and policy makers that are commonly perceived as untrustworthy–may play a significant role in creating the conditions that enable or encourage non-adherence. |
|---|---|
| College: |
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Funders: |
Manchester Centre for Health Psychology based at the University of Manchester (£2000) and Swansea University’s ‘Greatest Need Fund’ (£3000) |
| Issue: |
10 |
| Start Page: |
e0258781 |