Discussion of Average versus Extreme Case Severity in Pandemic Risk Communications

Abstract

To investigate determinants of the public’s perceptions of disease threat, in 2015 we conducted a randomized survey experiment in the Netherlands. Adults who read a mock news article describing average +or extreme outcomes from a hypothetical influenza pandemic were more influenced by average than by extreme case information. Presenting both types of information simultaneously appeared counterproductive.

Keywords

• risk communication
• health education
• influenza
• pandemic
• viruses
• surveys