Jina Lee: Risk Communication During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021/07/09

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every sector of society and completely changed our lives. Researchers are also working to analyze the various problems brought about by the pandemic and their social impact from their respective fields of expertise. From the perspective of media psychology, I am also researching media coverage of the pandemic, risk communication by the government and local municipalities, and people's information behavior.

Within this, I am particularly interested in the impact of COVID-related information on the younger generation. From the early stages of the pandemic, it was pointed out that many young people were mild or asymptomatic cases, potentially infecting others without knowing it. Under the state of emergency, some young people who did not practice self-restraint were critically featured in the media and frequently singled out for criticism by the government. Despite many young people practicing self-restraint, not a few question the criticism directed at the younger generation as a whole. Due to "COVID fatigue," the information behavior of young people is also changing.

In mid-February of this year, during the second state of emergency, I had the opportunity to conduct a web survey targeting people in their 20s as part of the "Risk Society and Media" project at KGRI (Keio University Global Research Institute). The sense of crisis among the younger generation was quite high, including risk perception regarding COVID-19 and the risk of infecting others, and many were practicing self-restraint. On the other hand, their self-evaluation of health literacy—the ability to understand, evaluate, and utilize information regarding infectious diseases—was not high. They felt overloaded by repeated COVID-related news coverage and showed a tendency to avoid information. Needless to say, information avoidance can hinder coping behaviors toward infectious diseases.

Another concerning point is the opinion among the younger generation that appeals from the government, local municipalities, and the media regarding infectious diseases do not resonate with them. While the younger generation is excessively blamed in politics and news coverage, many voices were heard stating that the perspectives of young people are not reflected in the responses of the government and local municipalities. In Japan's super-aging society, the negative effects of "silver democracy" have been pointed out, and there are concerns about the deepening intergenerational divide caused by COVID-19. In the long battle against the virus, I feel that strategic communication based on an understanding of the actual situation of the younger generation, who will lead the post-COVID society, is necessary.