Behavioral biases and heuristics in perceptions of COVID-19 risks and prevention decisions.

ABSTRACT: This study adds to an emerging literature on the factors associated with individual perceptions of COVID-19 risks and decision-making processes related to prevention behaviors. We conducted a survey in the Netherlands (N = 3600) in June-July 2020 when the first peak of COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths had passed, and lockdown measures had been eased. Dutch policies relied heavily on individual prevention behaviors to mitigate a second infection wave. We examine whether biases and heuristics that have been observed in how people perceive and respond to other risks also apply to the newly emergent risks posed by COVID-19. The results indicate that people simplify risk using threshold models and that risk perceptions are related with personal experiences with COVID-19 and exp

SUBMITTER: Botzen WJW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10078638 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature