Due to information bias, the public does not understand the dangers of the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
By
kompas team
·6 minutes read
Kompas/AGUS SUSANTO
Residents crossed in front of the ethical mural when coughing on Jalan N, Utan Panjang, Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, Saturday (20/6/2020). A survey conducted by Nanyang Technological University together with Laporcovid19.org found that although Jakarta residents had good knowledge of the Covid-19 threat, they ignored the risk of contracting the new type of corona virus due to economic pressures and being forced to move outside the home.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Due to information bias, the public does not understand the dangers of the disease caused by the new coronavirus. The situation is exacerbated by the growing economic pressures, which have prompted many people to ignore the risks.
As a result, Jakarta’s residents have been deemed unready in terms of risk perception to enter the new normal phase.
This is one of the key findings unveiled on Sunday (5/7/2020) from a social survey conducted by the Social Resilience Lab of Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU), in cooperation with Laporcovid19.org.
Meanwhile, Covid-19 government spokesman Achmad Yurianto said that a daily increase of 1,607 new Covid-19 cases was recorded on Sunday, bringing the cumulative total of confirmed cases to 63,749. Of these, 29,105 patients had recovered and 3,171 patients had died.
In the online survey conducted from 29 May to 20 June 2020, NTU and Laporcovid-19.org gathered information from 206,550 respondents, of which 154,471 respondents were validated for analysis. The majority of respondents had a high school education (57 percent) and came from all areas of Jakarta. The respondents primarily comprised housewives (44 percent) and private employees (23 percent).
NTU’s Sulfikar Amir, who led the survey, said that a country or region must meet the epidemiological requirements as determined by the World Health Organization (WHO), such as high testing capacity and health service readiness, for it to begin the new normal phase.
In addition, a country or region must also meet social requirements, such as a high level of public engagement. High public engagement could be achieved if the public scored high on the risk perception index. To measure this index, researchers asked 28 questions related to risk perception, information, self-protection, social capital, and the economy.
As regards public compliance with the health protocols, the survey found that the majority of respondents claimed compliance: 58 percent of respondents said that they diligently adhered to the protocols and 39 percent said they washed their hands.
KOMPAS/DEFRI WERDIONO
The situation of Sawah Cafe in Pujon Kidul Village, Pujon District, Malang Regency, East Java, on Monday (12/12/2019) morning.
Regarding the use of masks, 26 percent of respondents said they always wore masks, while 71 percent said they wore masks only when they went outdoors. Regarding physical distancing, 38 percent of respondents said they often maintained safe physical distance while 53 percent said they always observed physical distancing.
Inconsistent
Public awareness over the health protocols was not consistent with the respondents\' risk perception. The majority of respondents said it was unlikely that they would contract Covid-19. "Fifty-four percent of the respondents said they were very unlikely and 23 percent less likely to be infected," said Amir.
This was consistent with the perception of risk in other public places.
The survey also indicated that 30 percent of respondents believed it would be highly unlikely that they would be infected in a place of worship. This was consistent with the perception of risk in other public places. "Residents wear masks, but are unsure of the risks. They may also keep their distance from others, but not consistently,” Amir said.
Elisa Sutanudjaja of the research team added that residents in kelurahan (subdistricts) who had been infected earlier had a lower risk perception of Covid-19. "For example, Pegadungan subdistrict, which has been a ‘red zone’ for one-and-a-half months, has one of the two lowest scores in risk perception," she said.
Sohibi, 62, who drives a bajaj (three-wheeled motorized vehicle) and lives in Kebon Jeruk, Jakarta, for example, was sure he would not be infected by Covid-19 despite his daily activity providing public transportation services.
"I have never been sick since I was a teenager until now. I am sure I’ll be safe (from Covid-19) even though I am old,” he said.
Belief in conspiracy theories
This ambiguity was thought to be related to the information bias circulating among the residents. The research showed that 18 percent of respondents believed that the Covid-19 virus was manmade, 23 percent did not believe it was manmade, and 58 percent were undecided.
As to whether Indonesia was safe because it had a tropical climate, 26 percent agreed, 45 percent disagreed and the other 28 percent said they did not know. The correlation analysis showed that those who answered that Indonesia was safe referred to the government and influencers for their information. Conversely, those who did not believe that the country was protected by its climate relied on information from doctors and health experts.
In addition to their knowledge of the disease, the low level of risk perception was a result of the strong economic pressures the respondents were experiencing: 11 percent of respondents said they would risk contracting Covid-19 so they could continue with their activities, while 23 percent were reluctant.
The economic pressures made residents ignore the risks around them.
The majority of respondents (33 percent) said that the economic impact relatively big, 17 percent said it was big and the other 26 percent said it was severe. As for social assistance, 31 percent of respondents said they needed some aid, 22 percent said they needed a large amount of aid and the other 26 percent said they needed a very large amount of aid. The economic pressures made residents ignore the risks around them.
The survey also found that the majority of respondents cared about and wanted to help others both socially and financially.
According to these six variables, Jakarta citizens scored the rather low level of 3.30 on the risk perception index. This was lower than the initial results released five days after the survey. "Ideally, the minimum index is 4. Jakarta’s residents are not ready to enter the new normal due to the socioeconomic conditions," said Elisa.
Irma Hidayana of Laporcovid19.org said that the survey results had been submitted to the Jakarta administration, which was expected to use the results in determining future policies. In addition to intervention in the form of economic support for its residents, risk communication also needed addressing, she said.
The survey showed that, socially, Jakarta residents were aware of the need to help each other, indicating that the city had good social capital.
Health resources head Ani Ruspitawat of the Jakarta Health Agency said that for the duration of the large-scale social restrictions (PSBB), the Jakarta administration was closely monitoring public compliance with the health protocols in public places. In addition to appealing to its residents to comply with the health protocols, the Jakarta administration had also imposed fines on those who violated the health protocols. (AIK/FRD/HLN)
