Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link
Volume 27, Number 4—April 2021
Research

Dynamic Public Perceptions of the Coronavirus Disease Crisis, the Netherlands, 2020

Marion de Vries, Liesbeth Claassen, Margreet J.M. te Wierik, Susan van den Hof, Anne E.M. Brabers, Judith D. de Jong, Danielle R.M. Timmermans1, and Aura Timen1
Author affiliations: National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands (M. de Vries, L. Claassen, M.J.M. te Wierik, S. van den Hof, A. Timen); Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research, Utrecht, the Netherlands (A.E.M. Brabers, J.D. de Jong); Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands (J.D. de Jong); Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, the Netherlands (D.R.M. Timmermans); Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam (A. Timen)

Main Article

Table 1

An overview of the survey questions and corresponding measurements used to assess dynamic public perceptions of the coronavirus disease crisis, the Netherlands, 2020*

Topic, variable Survey question (answer category)
Perceptions of COVID-19
Perceived probability COVID-19 In your opinion, how likely is it that you will become ill due to the new coronavirus in the next 12 months? (1. very unlikely—5. very likely)
Perceived severity of How severe would it be to you if you develop one of the following diseases in the next 12 months? (1. Not severe at all—5. Very severe)†
Flu Flu
COVID-19 Disease due to the novel coronavirus
Ebola Ebola
Concerns about Are you concerned due to the new coronavirus … (1. Not at all concerned—5. Very concerned)
Own health About your own health?
Health of family members About the health of your family members?
Perceptions of control measures
Perception that sufficient measures 
are taken Do you think that the Netherlands is currently taking sufficient measures to control the spread of the new coronavirus? (1. Certainly not—5. Certainly yes)‡
Perceptions of the recommended 
measures§ Below there are several statements about the measures advised by the government to control the spread of the coronavirus. Please state what you think about these statements. (1. Certainly not—5. Certainly yes)
Measures are effective I think the recommended measures help to control the spread of the coronavirus
Most others adhere to measures Most people close to me adhere to the recommended measures.
Difficult to adhere to measures I find it difficult to adhere to the recommended measures.
Trust in authorities
Trust in information from the National 
Institute for Public Health and the 
Environment (RIVM)§ How much trust do you have in the information from the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) about the new coronavirus? (1. No trust—5. A lot of trust)
Trust in government measures§ How much trust do you have in the measures that the government is taking to control the spread of the new corona virus? (1. No trust—5. A lot of trust)
Self-reported protective behavior
Adopted protective measures Have you taken measures to protect yourself or your family members from the new coronavirus? (1. No / 2. Yes, namely…)
Adherence to recommended 
measures§ Do you adhere to the guidelines advised by the government to control the spread of the new coronavirus? (1. Yes / 2. Partly / 3. No / 4. Don’t know)¶

*COVID-19, coronavirus disease; Flu, influenza; T1–T6, surveys 1–6.
†Adapted from previous studies on public responses to influenza A(H1N1) (25) and Ebola (32) to allow for comparison with previous crises and to place the perceived severity of COVID-19 into context with other diseases. These are, from an expert’s perspective, less severe (flu) and more severe (Ebola) infectious diseases than COVID-19.
‡Formulated in T1 and T2 as “Do you think that the Netherlands is currently taking sufficient measures to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus?”
§Not assessed at T1 and T2.
¶The answer categories “partly,” “no,” and “don’t know” were merged into 1 value next to the value “yes” because of low response frequencies to the categories “no” and “don’t know.”

Main Article

1These authors contributed equally to this article.

Page created: January 25, 2021
Page updated: March 22, 2021
Page reviewed: March 22, 2021
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
file_external