Communicating the Pandemic - Reports
Latest report – published 09/08/2021
Communicating the pandemic: a qualitative analysis of public responses to official communication about COVID-19 (Giles Moss and Nely Konstantinova).
Published 25/11/2020
The Pandemic and its Publics – How people receive, interpret and act upon official guidance. (Stephen Coleman, Nely Konstantinova and Giles Moss).
First report of official findings: Wave 1 report, August 2020
You may also download a PDF (151.08KB) copy of the report.
Effective communication is a vital component of dealing with a public health emergency, and communication professionals depend on accurate, insightful data to ensure that their health messages are being received and understood by those they want to influence.
The University of Leeds, working with the polling company Savanta ComRes, is conducting a national study to investigate how people receive, understand and act upon official messages related to COVID-19.
The study, which is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), combines regular surveys with a nationally representative sample of UK adults and focus group research to provide the strongest possible evidence regarding channels of dissemination and the intelligibility and effectiveness of messages for different audiences. We will deliver three major reports: Next month (September) we will produce a report employing factor and cluster analyses. The population will be clustered into audience segments or groups based on shared attributes (e.g., attitudes, values, and experiences during the pandemic). This analysis will help us to understand the key factors that shape the reach, intelligibility, and effectiveness of official communication and understand which combination of communication channels or messages are important to prioritize for specific groups.
In November we shall produce a second report drawing on our focus group research, exploring the perceptions and experiences of different groups in greater depth.
We will complete a final report in February 2021 reviewing all our project findings and setting out feasible strategic recommendations to the appropriate bodies on how to improve public communication related to COVID-19.
Initial findings from the first wave of our survey in August confirm the need for our in-depth study of how the pandemic is being communicated. We found that 79% of UK adults suggest they are interested in information about the pandemic. However, 64% report that they are overwhelmed by the different messages they are receiving, reflecting the complexity of the communication task involved. Understanding also varies across the population. For example, a significant minority of respondents seem to suggest they are unclear about the meaning of key phrases and messages:
How clear or not are you about what each of these terms or phrases mean?
(1-10 scale) Clear (6-10) Unclear (5-1)
Stay Alert – 77% clear, 23% unclear
Support Bubble – 70% clear, 30% unclear
Social Distancing – 88% clear, 12% unclear
Self-isolate – 86% clear, 14% unclear
Essential Journey – 79% clear, 21% unclear
Hands, Space, Face - Get a test – 62% clear, 38% unclear
Second report of official findings: Wave 2 report, September 2020
You may also download a PDF (173.34KB) copy of the report.
Communicating the pandemic Wave Two
The University of Leeds, working with the polling company Savanta ComRes, is conducting a national study to investigate how people receive, understand and act upon official messages related to COVID-19.
Different perceptions of risk
Limiting the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic depends upon collective behaviour. An individual can do the right things, but still be exposed to the virus by another member of the public who does not. For public communication to be effective, it should result in nearly everyone adhering to a common set of rules.
Initial findings from the second wave of our survey raise questions about how people perceive risks differently and how their ability or inclination to follow the rules vary. (We shall be exploring the reasons for these disparities in our first major analysis next month).
We asked members of the public to rate how concerned or not they felt participating in a range of common activities. Although around half of UK adults indicated that they were concerned about participating in most of these activities, a sizeable proportion indicated that they were not. Even in the case of visiting a foreign country, around one in five (22%) indicated that they were not concerned about doing this. This raises important questions about the type of information specific population groups are receiving and how strongly they associate risk with various activities.
We are sharing this with you as someone we have identified as having an interest or role in the development and deployment of messaging related to COVID-19.
Savanta ComRes interviewed 1,057 UK adults online between 11 and 14 August 2020. Data were weighted to be demographically representative of the UK by age, gender, region and social grade. Savanta ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. Full data tables can be found at www.comresglobal.com/our-work/poll-archive.
How easy or difficult have you found it to do each of the following?
Wash my clothes regularly 11%
Wear a face mask on public transport 13%
Keep my hands and face as clean as possible 15%
Avoid use of public transport at peak times 15%
Keep places ventilated if I am indoors with people from different households 16%
Avoid shouting or singing close to people outside my household/support bubble 16%
Reduce use of public transport 17%
Follow the safety guidelines in public spaces (e.g. my workplace, shops & businesses) 18%
Avoid crowded spaces 19%
Work from home 21%
Maintain social distancing with people outside my household/support bubble 25%
Avoid being face-to-face with people outside my household/support bubble 26%
We also explored the ease with which the public has been able to adhere to the public health advice that government has been promoting by asking how easy or difficult it has been to take various safety measures, such as wearing face masks on public transport. Here again, the data suggests that most people have found it easy sticking to the rules, but a minority have found it difficult. For example, one in five (19%) indicate that they have found it difficult to avoid crowded spaces.
How concerned or not do you feel doing each of the following activities right now?
Visiting an outdoor space (e.g. park, garden, countryside) 33%
Going to a small shop (e.g. local grocery stores, small high street shops) 44%
Using outdoor sports and exercise facilities (e.g. outdoor pitches, courts, pools etc.) 45%
Visiting a food or drinks venue but stayed outside (e.g. pub, bar, cafe, restaurant) 47%
Going to a large shop (e.g. supermarkets, shopping centres, large retail chains) 48%
Meeting someone outside my household or support bubble 49%
Visiting a hairdresser, barber or beauty salon 51%
Staying in holiday accommodation in the UK (e.g. hotel, B&B, Airbnb) 52%
Staying overnight at someone else's house excluding households in my support bubble 53%
Going inside a food or drinks venue (e.g. pub, bar, cafe, restaurant) 56%
Using a taxi, private driver or minicab 57%
Using indoor sports and exercise facilities (e.g. indoor studios, gyms, courts, pools etc.) 58%
Hugging someone outside my household or support bubble 61%
Using public transport (e.g. bus, train, coach) 62%
Visiting entertainment venues (e.g. cinema, galleries, theatres, casinos) 62%
Meeting outdoors in a large group of people (30+) 62%
Visiting a foreign country 64%
Over the coming months we will be publishing detailed and comprehensive reports setting out the key factors that might help explain the reach, intelligibility, and effectiveness of official communication relating to the pandemic, suggesting which combination of communication channels or messages are important to prioritize for specific groups based on their shared attitudes, values and experiences.
In future weeks, we will track changes over time and identify differences among specific groups in how they receive, understand and act upon official messages.
If you would like more information about our work, please contact the Principal Investigator: Professor Stephen Coleman, Principal Investigator, email - s.coleman@leeds.ac.uk
Methodology note: Savanta ComRes interviewed 1,040 UK adults online between 3 and 7 August 2020. Data were weighted to be demographically representative of the UK by age, gender, region and social grade. Savanta ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. Full data tables can be found at www.comresglobal.com/our-work/poll-archive.