The Role of Media Use and Emotions in Risk Perception and Preventive Behaviors Related to COVID-19 in South Korea
The relationship between compliance with behaviors recommended to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and media exposure, negative emotions, and risk perception was examined using regression analyses of data from KAMOS, a nationally representative survey of South Korean adults. The strongest predictor of...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
ANPOR Korea
2020-08-01
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| Series: | Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.15206/ajpor.2020.8.3.297 |
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| Summary: | The relationship between compliance with behaviors recommended to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and media exposure, negative emotions, and risk perception was examined using regression analyses of data from KAMOS, a nationally representative survey of South Korean adults. The strongest predictor of preventive behaviors in general was negative emotions, which had the largest *βh* (.22) among the independent variables considered. The eight negative emotions, identified using factor analysis of a series of 11 emotions, were anger, annoyance, fear, sadness, anxiety, insomnia, helplessness, and stress. Negative emotions themselves were influenced most strongly by the respondent’s anxiety over social safety (*βf*=.286), followed by prediction of COVID-19 spread (*β*=.121, *p*<.001) and perceived risk of COVID-19 infection (*β*=.70, p=.023). Females (*β*=-.134) and those who felt less healthy (*βo*=-.097) experienced more negative emotions. Media exposure and increased media exposure both have significant relationships with negative emotions and both a direct and indirect impact on the adoption of preventive measures. Women, older people, and healthier people perceived greater risks and engaged in more preventive behaviors than their counterparts. |
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| ISSN: | 2288-6168 |