RAPID Proposal: Psychological distance and risk perception related to the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak

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This project assesses the American public’s perception of the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak that originated from Wuhan, China. The focus of this research is to examine whether Americans’ perception of the root cause of the outbreak, as well as whether they believe the outbreak is a distant issue for most Americans, will determine their risk perception and emotional responses to the outbreak. Further, this project examines the extent to which risk perception and emotions influence whether Americans seek information about this issue, share information with others, and support public health policies including international cooperation. The proposed research advances risk communication research, as well as enhances our understanding of strategic messaging design to benefit public health, prosperity and welfare.The proposed research is an experimental survey to assess 1) how psychological distance (especially spatial and social distance) and causal attribution influence the U.S. public’s risk perception surrounding the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak; 2) how mental construal of the outbreak determines Americans’ emotional responses to the outbreak; 3) how risk perception and emotional responses influence risk communication behaviors and public support for U.S. involvement in providing aid; and 4) whether cultural cognition moderates these relationships. The research involves a survey, based on a nationally representative sample of 1,000 participants, who are randomly assigned to four experimental conditions. Psychological distance and causal attributions are the main experimental factors with cultural cognition as the primary moderator, while risk perception, emotional responses, communication behaviors, and support for U.S. response effort are the outcome variables. The outbreak provides a unique context to study public risk perception and risk communication behaviors. Although only a small number cases have been confirmed in the U.S. at the inception of the research, there is heightened media attention and the U.S. government has issued a travel ban to all foreign nationals who have been to mainland China. It is possible that social cognitive mechanisms, such as psychological distance, causal attribution, and cultural cognition will synergistically influence public risk perceptions and subsequent communication behaviors and support for public health policies. Exploring these mechanisms and their respective impacts can help us understand how to communicate better about a major disease outbreak in an interconnected world.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.