Risk perceptions of COVID-19 in Beijing: a cross-sectional study

Qing Liu; Yiyang Tan; Zheng Zhu; Jiawei Zhang; Yaqun Fu; Quan Wang; Zhijie Nie; Li Yang; Xiaoguang Li

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1294765

Risk perceptions of COVID-19 in Beijing: a cross-sectional study

Front Psychol. 2024 Feb 7:15:1294765. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1294765. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Qing Liu¹, Yiyang Tan², Zheng Zhu², Jiawei Zhang², Yaqun Fu², Quan Wang², Zhijie Nie², Li Yang², Xiaoguang Li³

Affiliations

¹ General Practice Department, Second Outpatient Section, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China.
² Department of Health Policy and Management, Peking University School of Public Health, Beijing, China.
³ Department of Infectious Diseases, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China.

Abstract

Background: The Chinese government has ended the "dynamic zero-COVID" policy, and residents are now living together with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Only a limited number of studies have investigated the specific content and structure of COVID-19-related risk perceptions, as well as their underlying determinants. This study measured the residents' risk perception of COVID-19 and analyzed the predictors of RP.

Methods: We conducted a comprehensive questionnaire-based survey among residents mostly in Beijing, using a specially designed scale consisting of 11 items to accurately measure COVID-19 risk perceptions. We then utilized multiple linear regression analysis to investigate the factors associated with risk perceptions.

Results: A total of 60,039 residents participated in the survey. Our study reveals that COVID-19-related worries are significantly influenced by other dimensions of RP (p < 0.001), except for perceived society's control of the epidemic. Several experiential and socio-demographic factors, including gender, educational level, and infectious experience, are notably correlated with all dimensions of risk perceptions of COVID-19.

Conclusion: This study evaluates the specific content and structure of COVID-19-related risk perceptions, as well as their determinants. It is essential to understand the risk perceptions and health-protective behaviors of residents with diverse educational levels, incomes, and medical histories.

Keywords: COVID-19; cross-sectional study; determinants; pandemic; risk perception.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This study was supported by a grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China [72174010], the Natural Science Foundation of Beijing Municipality [M22033], Capital Health Research and Development of Special Fund [2021-1G-4091].