Covid-19 risk perceptions and reported protective behaviors in the United States WÄNDI BRUINE DE BRUIN
As Covid-19 began to spread across the world in March 2020, people were confronted by a novel virus. With emerging diseases like Covid-19, objective risk information is typically scarce, characterized by uncertainty, and subject to change. In the public discourse, it was discussed whether or not the case-fatality rate for Covid-19 was comparable to that of seasonal influenza (De Ridder, 2020; National Public Radio, 2020; World Health Organization, 2020). In the absence of pharmaceutical interventions, mass adoption of protective behaviors such as handwashing and social distancing is usually recommended to limit the spread of emerging infectious diseases (Aledort, Lurie, Wasserman, & Bozzette, 2007; Bruine de Bruin, Fischhoff, Brilliant, & Caruso, 2006). Although the science and experience of Covid-19 were still developing, people were faced with important decisions about whether the risks were high enough to implement these protective behaviors.
