Association of age, gender, and education with awareness and perceived threat related to pandemic among Indian adults

Abstract

Background: Novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has led to a state of a public health emergency. As studied in earlier pandemics, awareness and perceived threats regarding an infectious disease play an essential role in instigating preventative measures. This study attempted to assess the association of age, gender, and education with awareness and perceived threat during COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An online survey was conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire using a nonprobability snowball sampling technique, and a dataset of 1068 participants was analyzed. Results: Age was significantly correlated with awareness, anxiety, and threat, with a positive correlation observed for awareness and a negative correlation observed for an overall perceived threat. On the other hand, education was correlated significantly only with awareness, and this correlation was positive. Conclusions: This study aimed to determine the vulnerable population in terms of age, gender, and years of education. The most susceptible sections of society are the youths, especially those with a low level of education.

Keywords

• anxiety
• awareness
• covid-19
• pandemic
• perceived threat