Fighting pandemics with enhanced risk communication: Messages, compliance and vulnerability during the COVID-19 outbreak

The PAN-FIGHT project will investigate political and social dimensions of the COVID-19 pandemic, by addressing health risk communication in relation to social and cultural dynamics. We will offer new knowledge on how national and local authorities as well as health institutions can enhance their risk communication to mitigate social vulnerabilities. In so doing, we will contribute to improved preparedness, resilience and societal safety. The COVID-19 pandemic provide an unprecedented opportunity for governments, researchers, health systems and the population at large to assess their resilience and improve preparedness. Future pandemic pathogens can be much more sinister. Of paramount interest in this context is how national and local authorities communicate with their citizens about risks associated with the COVID-19 virus. National and local variations in risk communication appear to have triggered similarly varied reactions in the general public, with subsequent impact on vulnerabilities conditioned by social and cultural differences. Bringing together some of Europe and the United States' most competent researchers on risk communication, societal safety and health emergencies, this project will a) investigate to what extent national variations in authorities' risk communication strategies can be linked to the ways in which members of the public adhere to governmental guidelines, requirements and restrictions; b) identify any correlations between risk communication, adherence, and factors such as social capital, age, gender, socio-economic status and household composition; and c) translate this knowledge into internationally aligned, evidence-based, and culturally sensitive risk communication strategies. The greatest risk to this project is the COVID-19 pandemic itself, with unpredictable health effects on those involved and possible prolonged restrictions on mobility and personal contact. We will counteract the latter with a robust digital infrastructure.