Volume 27, Number 4—April 2021
Research
Dynamic Public Perceptions of the Coronavirus Disease Crisis, the Netherlands, 2020
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.”
1These authors contributed equally to this article.