Trust in Institutions and the COVID-19 Threat: A Cross-Sectional Study on the Public Perception of Official Recommendations and of Othering in Switzerland

How does collectivism help deal with perceived vaccine artificiality? The case of COVID-19 vaccination intent in European young adults

Vaccine "unnaturalness" (artificiality) is one of the major anti-vaccine arguments raised in public debate. Therefore, health communication should rebut unnaturalness arguments and be cautious when emphasizing human intervention (e.g., advanced vaccine technology), which may entail perceiving vaccines as artificial. Understanding how the relationship between perceived vaccine artificiality and vaccination intent differs across social groups can help enforce the above health communication efforts by focusing them on specific audiences. The objective of the current paper is to assess the moderating role of a particular socio-cultural factor-vertical collectivism (reflecting the orientation on social hierarchy)-in the relationship between perceived vaccine artificiality and vaccination intent. It is proposed that vertical collectivism diminishes the negative effect of perceived vaccine artificiality. Two studies with European young adults measured COVID-19 vaccination intent and vertical collectivism. Study 1 (N = 418) was correlational, measuring perceived vaccine artificiality. The data were analyzed with a moderation model. Study 2 (N = 203) was experimental, manipulating perceived vaccine artificiality by human-intervention appeal (i.e., emphasizing human intervention in vaccine development and operation). The data were analyzed with moderation and moderated mediation models. Study 1 demonstrated that the effect of perceived vaccine artificiality on vaccination intent was less negative when the level of vertical collectivism was higher. In Study 2, with higher levels of vertical collectivism, the effect of human-intervention appeal on vaccination intent was less negative, and the indirect effect through perceived vaccine artificiality turned even positive. Those results contribute to the fields of perceived naturalness/artificiality, vaccination behavior, health communication, and cultural dimensions theory, providing empirical evidence that the negative effect of perceived vaccine artificiality on vaccination intent is diminished by vertical collectivism, as proposed. Health practitioners are guided on how to consider different levels of collectivism of their audiences while referring to vaccine artificiality in their communication. Specifically, it is suggested that rebutting "unnaturalness" anti-vaccine arguments should be focused on people low in vertical collectivism, and messages featuring human intervention (e.g., a vaccine's technological advancement) should be targeted at people high in vertical collectivism.

(Dis)harmony in times of crisis? An analysis of COVID-related strategic communication by Swiss public health institutions

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to assess COVID-related communication by Swiss public health institutions (PHI) as well as the challenges they faced in implementing their communication strategies.

STUDY DESIGN

This study uses a two-part mixed methods design, combining automated content analysis of press releases by PHI and semi-structured interviews with PHI communication experts.

METHODS

The automated content analysis uses natural language processing techniques to measure semantic themes and linguistic properties of 1882 press releases from national and regional PHI during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The semi-structured interviews with 25 communication experts from key PHI explore the challenges faced in implementing their communication strategies.

RESULTS

The content analysis reveals key themes in press releases, including non-pharmaceutical interventions, quarantine, testing, contact tracing, hospital situations, and the pandemic's impact on the economy. The linguistic measures indicated a decrease in complexity and readability over time, with no significant differences between national and regional PHI. Interviews revealed challenges arising from organizational structures, the multi-systemic nature of the pandemic, and from expectations of the public.

CONCLUSIONS

The study highlights the importance of agility in public health communication and the need for efficient coordination within and between PHI. Organizational structures should be adapted to allow for more agile modes of operation during crises. Policymakers should clarify roles and responsibilities of different actors in public health frameworks to ensure streamlined communication. Understanding the communication efforts and challenges faced by PHI during the pandemic helps preparing for future health crises and improve public health communication practices.

Satisfaction with vaccination services and its relationship to emotional responses of service users in Lima. LEGADO's quality management model as a public solution to promote citizen emotional well-being during pandemic

This article analyzes the levels of citizen satisfaction with LEGADO's quality management model service during the first year of vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 in public spaces administered by LEGADO, and its relationship with the user's emotional responses. To this end, a survey study has been developed from July 2021 until March 2022 at 4 moments to citizens (n = 1,697) who attended 3 vaccination locations administered by LEGADO (VIDENA, Complejo VMT and Polideportivo VES). The results show a high level of satisfaction with LEGADO's quality model service, which is associated with a positive emotional balance. Specifically, the elements that have the greatest effect on positive emotions are the cleanliness and facilities' organization and the agility of service. These results are discussed emphasizing the importance of the role of public institutions in developing inclusive quality public services for all citizens. This strategy of public quality model service according to citizens' necessities should result in confidence towards public institutions and socially responsible behavior among citizens through the reduction of social gaps. The research establishes the urgency to promote this model in order to bring legitimacy and confidence to public institutions in Perú.

Covering the Crisis: Evolution of Key Topics and Actors in COVID-19 News Coverage in Switzerland

Objectives: The goal of this study is to map the share of COVID-related news articles over time, to investigate key subtopics and their evolution throughout the pandemic, and to identify key actors and their relationship with different aspects of the discourse around the pandemic.

Methods: This study uses a large-scale automated content analysis to conduct a within-country comparison of news articles (N = 1,171,114) from two language regions of Switzerland during the first 18 months of the pandemic.

Results: News media coverage of the pandemic largely mirrors key epidemiological developments in terms of the volume and content of coverage. Key actors in COVID-related reporting tend to be included in news articles that relate to their respective area of expertise.

Conclusion: Balanced news coverage of the pandemic facilitates effective dissemination of pandemic-related information by health authorities.

Are psychological status and trust in information related to vaccine hesitancy during COVID-19 pandemic? A latent class and mediation analyses in Italy

Despite the recognized benefits of the COVID-19 vaccination, vaccine hesitancy (VH) remains one of the biggest challenges of the mass vaccination campaign. Most studies investigating VH determinants focused on socio-demographics and direct relationships. In this study, we aimed at: 1) identifying subgroups of people differently affected by the pandemic, in terms of psychological status; 2) investigating the role of psychological status and trust in information as possible mediators of the relationship between individual characteristics and VH. To this purpose, a latent class analysis (LCA) followed by a mediation analysis were carried out on data from a survey conducted in January 2021 on 1011 Italian citizens. LCA identified four different subgroups characterized by a differential psychological impact of the pandemic: the extremely affected (21.1%), the highly affected (49.1%), the moderately affected (21.8%) and the slightly affected (8%). We found that VH decreased with the increase of psychological impact (from 59.3% to 23.9%). In the mediation analysis, past vaccination refusal, age 45-54 years and lower-than-average income, were all indirectly related to higher VH through mistrust in COVID-19 information. Differently, the psychological impact counteracted the greater VH in females, the negative effect of social media among youngest (<35 years) and the negative effect of mistrust in the lower-than-average-income subgroup. Knowledge of psychological profile of hesitant individuals, their level of trust and the sources of information they access, together with their sociodemographic characteristics provides a more comprehensive picture of VH determinants that can be used by public health stakeholders to effectively design and adapt communication campaigns.