Information behavior during the Covid-19 crisis in German-speaking countries

Pandemic Palliatives and COVID-19 Coping: Toward the Development of a "Coping with Crisis Communications" (COCCO) Scale

The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the critical role of coping strategies during global crises and demonstrated how official communications shape public responses. This study evaluates the psychometric validity of a novel pentadic "Coping with Crisis Communication" (COCCO) Scale, which categorizes coping behaviors into five behavioral responses: moving-with, moving-against, moving-outward, moving-away, and moving-inward. A national representative survey of 742 Swiss residents, conducted in February 2022, measured these coping responses to official COVID-19 communications from the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) and traditional Swiss news media (TNM). Items were developed to assess how participants engaged with, opposed, reached outward for support, distanced from, or internalized the messages. Confirmatory factor analyses tested multiple models (5-, 6-, 7-, and 8-factor structures) based on both the initial pentadic theory and data-driven refinements. While the original 5-factor model showed insufficient fit, a 7-factor model (moving-with, moving-toward, moving-against, moving-outward, moving-away, negative-moving-inward, positive-moving-inward) provided a satisfactory factor solution. This model exhibited measurement invariance across the three language versions of the scale (French, Italian, German) and across the two communication contexts (FOPH, TNM). The COCCO scale offers an effective, movement-based assessment of coping strategies in response to crisis communications, serving as a valuable tool for understanding public behavior during global crises.

Information Seeking and Avoidance in the COVID-19 Pandemic as a Function of Political Ideology and National Context: A Survey Comparing the US and Germany

The COVID-19 pandemic sparked a globally heightened need for scientific information. At the same time, the abundance of information led to tendencies of media fatigue and information avoidance. Both information seeking and avoidance are embedded in a specific national context, in which conditions of and measures against the pandemic may differ dramatically. In addition, the pandemic quickly became entangled with political ideology. Using the Risk Information Seeking and Processing Model (RISP) as a theoretical background, we investigate the role of national context and political ideology for information seeking and avoidance in a comparative survey in the U.S. and Germany during the early phase of the pandemic. Results show that the factors predicting information behavior are effective in both countries with only few differences: In both countries, perceived hazard characteristics, information norms and perceived information gathering capacity were related to higher information seeking and lower information avoidance. Ideology too is an important influence: Right-leaning ideology was associated with lower levels of information norms in both countries; but only in the US was right-leaning ideology connected to less perceived hazard characteristics and less negative affective responses. Results are discussed regarding their implications for the RISP model.

Health Beliefs, Protective Behaviors, and Information-Seeking

BACKGROUND

The outbreak of COVID-19 caused severe damage to public health globally and served as a stark reminder of the potential for future pandemics. Promoting protective behaviors to prevent the spread of any contagious disease thus remains a priority. Although research has shown that health beliefs can affect protective behaviors, few studies have examined the role of information-seeking in this relationship.

OBJECTIVES

On the basis of the health belief model, this research focused on whether health beliefs affect personal protective behaviors through health information-seeking behaviors.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study with a causal-comparative design used an online questionnaire to investigate the Taiwanese public's health beliefs, protective behaviors, and information-seeking behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis.

RESULTS

Between September 2021 and January 2022, 322 valid questionnaires were collected. The results revealed that the effects of two health beliefs-self-efficacy and perceived benefits-on handwashing, social distancing, practicing good cough etiquette, and keeping one's environment clean and well ventilated were partially mediated by the frequency of official information-seeking.

DISCUSSION

Results of this study support the regular and timely promotion of pandemic prevention measures through official sites. Promoting official information-seeking can help enhance protective behaviors.

Factors influencing the use of natural health products, in particular for concentration and cognition in Germany

BACKGROUND

Natural health products (NHP) are an important part of the healthcare system. They are mainly non-prescription and sold over the counter, which requires active decision making by the consumer. Within the framework of the Complementary and Alternative Healthcare Model, this study aims to identify factors that influence NHP usage, in particular related to concentration and cognition (CC), a topic that concerns all ages and social classes within the population.

METHODS

Data were collected by means of a representative online survey (n = 1,707) in Germany in April 2022. Three user groups were defined: NHPCC users, who used NHP for CC (12 month prevalence); nCC-NHP users, who used NHP but not for CC indications (12 month prevalence); and past NHP users, who have used NHP but not within the previous 12 months. Independent influencing variables were categorized into predisposing, enabling, need, and health service use factors. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, and binary logistic regression models to compare NHPCC users to nCC-NHP users (model 1) and to past NHP users (model 2).

RESULTS

A higher share of NHPCC and nCC-NHP users compared to past NHP users were women, self-medicated with NHP, and used information about NHP provided by health professionals or on product. Their openness-to-change value orientation was more pronounced than of past users. Compared to nCC-NHP and past NHP users, the probability of being an NHPCC user increased if an individual had more difficulties in daily attention and memory performance, made use of health professionals and literature to seek information about NHP, and used NHP for health support and illness prevention. Additionally, a female gender, NHP self-medication, and having higher values of self-transcendence were significant indicators for NHPCC usage compared to past NHP usage.

CONCLUSION

NHP manufacturers, health professionals, and policymakers should be aware of the factors that lead to NHP consumption decisions and consider them in the development and optimization of healthcare strategies as well as in the marketing and communication strategies of companies producing NHP, in particular for CC. The current study can contribute to characterizing the target groups and to defining the aims and communication channels of such campaigns.

[COVID-19 vaccination status, sources of used information and socio-demographic characteristics-results of the CoSiD study]

BACKGROUND

Despite the benefits of a COVID-19 vaccination, too few people in Germany were still considered vaccinated in the summer of 2022. This was explained, among other factors, by socio-demographic differences. The article also analyses this correlation by including the sources of information used on corona vaccination based on the data from the third survey of the "Accompanying research on the communication of corona vaccination in Germany" (CoSiD study, Nov./Dec. 2021; n = 4366 16-year-olds and older).

METHODS

Bi- and multivariate correlations were analysed between the uptake of vaccination or the intention to vaccinate of the unvaccinated and socio-demographic characteristics as well as sources of information on COVID-19 vaccination.

RESULTS

Of the respondents, 87.7% have been vaccinated at least once. The vaccination rate tends to increase with age, education level and household income and is higher among people in the old federal states and without a migration background. The sources of information on COVID-19 vaccination were mostly discussions among family, friends and colleagues (81.8%) and German TV and radio stations (77.1%). In the multivariate model, higher proportions of people without vaccination intentions were found among respondents who obtained information from TV and radio stations from abroad as well as from social media.

DISCUSSION

Information offerings for specific target groups must take social inequalities even more into account. One challenge here is that the use of different information sources is related to different vaccination intentions. In particular, people with vaccination intentions and the undecided can be reached with easily understandable, trustworthy information offerings.

Fine-grained detection on the public's multi-dimensional communication preferences in emergency events

With the rapid development of Internet technologies, the public can participate in the information communication of emergency events more conveniently and quickly. Once an emergency occurs, the public will immediately express and disseminate massive information about the causes, processes and results of the emergency. In the process of information communication, the public often adopts diversified communication modes, and then shows differential communication preferences. The detection of the public's communication preferences can more accurately understand the information demands of the public in events, and then contribute to the rational allocation of resources and improve the processing efficiency. Therefore, this paper conducted finer-grained mining on the public's online expressions in multiple events, so as to detect the public's communication preferences. Specifically, we collected the public's expressions related to emergency events from the social media and then we analyzed the expressions from multiple dimensions to obtain the corresponding communication features. Finally, based on the comparative analysis of diversified communication features, static and dynamic communication preferences were obtained. The experimental results indicate that the public's communication preferences do exist, which is universal and consistent. Meanwhile, constructing a better social environment and improving people's livelihood are the fundamental strategies to guide public opinion.

Exploring the impact of motivations on individual online and offline preventive actions against COVID-19

Having accurate and sufficient information about the outbreak and actively adopting preventive actions are important to reduce the adverse effects of COVID-19 and control the spread of the epidemic. To this end, grounded in the situational theory of problem solving (STOPS) and self-concern and other-orientation theory, this study aims to examine motivations of individuals to adopt online and offline preventive actions during the COVID-19 pandemic. We explored the effects of three motivations, i.e., situational motivation, concern-for-self and concern-for-others motivation, and their antecedents on individual online and offline preventive actions. We used PLS-SEM to analyze the results of 628 questionnaires and found that: first, individual online preventive actions have a positive predictive effect on offline actions; secondly, individual online preventive actions are positively affected by situational motivation and concern-for-others motivation, and individual offline preventive actions are positively affected by concern-for-self and concern-for-others motivation; finally, three situational perceptual factors including problem, involvement and constraint recognition have significant effects on the three motivations. The findings of this study enriched the research results on individual behaviors in the context of COVID-19, and provided a basis for making decisions on the guidance and management of the individuals' COVID-19 preventive actions.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-023-04283-z.

Do students look for information differently? Information-seeking behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore the COVID-19 information-seeking behavior of the students in a developing country. This study also explores how the use of information sources changes over time by the students of a public university in Bangladesh.

Design/methodology/approach

An e-mail was sent along with an online questionnaire to 350 students in a public university in Bangladesh. After sending a couple of follow-up e-mails in May and June 2022, we got limited responses. Later in July, we distributed the same questionnaire in the printed form to the students in the seminar library, computer laboratory and in the classroom. Finally, we got back 270 responses, and the response rate was 77.14%. Pearson’s correlation coefficient (effect size) and nonparametric test (Mann–Whitney U test) were used to see the differences in using information sources over times and overall understanding of choosing the COVID-19 information sources by the demographic variables.

Findings

This study found that the COVID-19 pandemic has made an increased demand for a variety of information, and the sources of information changes over time before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of the students faced challenges while seeking COVID-19 information which mostly falls under the availability of mis–disinformation. Students used more social media tools during the COVID-19 than the pre-COVID-19 time, and there are some significant relationships found between the students’ demographic variables and students’ understanding of choosing the COVID-19 information sources.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first to analyze changes in information behavior patterns of students in a developing country and understand the challenges faced by the students during the pandemic.

Product availability and stockpiling in times of pandemic: causes of supply chain disruptions and preventive measures in retailing

The coronavirus pandemic in 2020 brought global supply chain disruptions for retailers responding to the increased demand of consumers for popular merchandise. There is a need to adapt the existing supply chain models to describe the disruptions and offer the potential measures that businesses and governments can take to minimize adverse effects from a retail logistics perspective. This research analyses the possible reasons for supply and demand disruptions using a mathematical model of a retail supply chain with uncertain lead times and stochastic demand of strategic consumers. The established concepts of supply chain management are applied for the model analysis: multi-period inventory policies, bullwhip effect, and strategic consumers. The impact of the pandemic outbreaks in the model is two-fold: increased lead-time uncertainty affects supply, while consumer stockpiling affects demand. Consumers' rational hoarding and irrational panic buying significantly increase retailers' costs due to higher safety stock and demand variability. The bullwhip effect further exacerbates the disruption. The research contributes to the recent literature on business response to supply chain disruptions by developing a model where both retailers and consumers decide on the order quantity and reorder point during a pandemic outbreak. Buying limits, continuous inventory review, government rationing, substitutability, and omnichannel fulfillment are the measures that can limit the damage of supply chain disruptions from stockpiling during the pandemic. Effective communication and price and availability guarantees can mitigate the negative impact of panic buying.

Effective factors in people's preventive behaviors during covid-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-synthesis

Background

The overwhelming outbreak of covid-19 has forced governments all over the world to consider different measures to face this challenging situation. A vitally important element to the declining transmission of viruses is changing behaviors based on reliable information. This study was designed and implemented to identify factors affecting the preventive behaviors during the covid-19 pandemic.

Methods

This thematic synthesis was carried out in order to create a set of central themes that summarize all of the issues raised in the articles reviewed in this study. We used PRISMA 2020 guidelines to direct this systematic review and meta synthesis. The process of analyzing data includes three different stages: 1) creating codes; 2) production of descriptive themes; 3) and finally, the creation of analytical themes. The Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research checklist was used to evaluate the articles' quality.

Results

Five central themes emerged from 8 included articles, (1) Social factors (subthemes: environmental context, political leadership, multimedia), (2) Cultural factors (subthemes: national culture, religious culture, the family beliefs, work culture, foreign culture), (3) Economic factors (subthemes: economic situation of the individual, the government supports, infrastructures), (4) Personal factors (subthemes: people experiences, cognitive ability, physical factors, different motivational level, sense of responsibility, risk management, and self-management skills), and (5) Knowledge and Education factors (subthemes: access to information, skill training). Furthermore, SRQR items that were weakly reported were “researcher characteristics and reflexivity”, “Sampling strategy”, “Data collection methods”, “Data analysis”, and “techniques to enhance trustworthiness.

Conclusion

Health policymakers and other public health officials in various countries can use the factors listed to develop appropriate, evidence-based policies. They should investigate behavioral characteristics in their community based on their abilities, and then design and implement appropriate executive actions.

Everyday information behavior during the “new normal” of the Covid-19 pandemic: approaching the notions of experiential and local knowledge

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to understand everyday information behavior (IB) during the Covid-19 pandemic at the “new normal” stage, focusing on the notions of experiential knowledge (EK), i.e. knowledge acquired by first-hand experience or in personal interactions, and local knowledge (LK) as perception of local environment.

Design/methodology/approach

Seventeen interviews were carried out in February–May 2021, in a district of the city of Madrid (Spain). Interview transcripts were analyzed according to grounded theory, to identify major and complementary themes of EK and LK.

Findings

Participants’ stories show that EK cooperated with information originating from government, scientific authorities and mainstream media, in patterns of convergence and divergence. While convergence produces “thick knowledge” (knowledge perceived as solid, real and multidimensional), divergence leads to uncertainty and collaboration, but it also supports a critical stance on authorities’ information. In addition, participants’ perceptions of LK emphasize its human component. LK and EK are exchanged both explicitly and tacitly.

Originality/value

The paper presents the first approach to understanding EK and LK and their function during the health crisis, characterizing them as alternative information systems and as topics deserving major attention in research on IB and crisis management.

Human information behavior during the Covid-19 health crisis. A literature review

The research carried out on human information behavior (HIB) during the Covid-19 health crisis was reviewed, with the premise that HIB and information practices allow humans to adapt to the changing circumstances of existence. A literature search was run on the LISTA and Google Scholar databases from middle March 2020 up to the end of March 2021. After filtering retrieved results, 52 studies were selected. Results are summarized into seven main themes, including the use of traditional and social media, infoveillance of search engines and social media activity, misinformation, disinformation and infodemics, and uncertainty and emotions. Results point to the need to carry out additional research in specific contexts and addressing vulnerable and marginalized groups. Further areas of inquiry include the interplay of emotions, knowledge and behaviors during the information seeking process, a better understanding of local knowledge and experiential knowledge, and the need to comprehend the limitations of ICT.