Influence of Media on Risk Perception During the COVID 19 Pandemic: Qualitative Case Study from Thailand

Abstract

This empirical study of the effects of media on risk perception during the Covid 19 pandemic in Thailand was carried out during the first 9 months of the Covid pandemic from March-December 2020. Media as a tool and medium for public consumption of information is becoming more complex with more diverse outlets and mediums. However, during the Covid pandemic, especially the early phase, media was in conformity with government sources to get fast, accurate and up to date information to the public. The study sought to identify channels of communication during emergencies, perceived trustworthiness of sources, emotional connotation and how this impacted perceptions and degree of risk among the case study population. Coding was used to evaluate participants level of perception towards trust and risk in media during the pandemic and how this impacted behavior among the participant population. This study finds that during the pandemic people’s consumption of information were similar. Their perception of the trustworthiness of the source did influence their behaviors in order to mitigate risk associated with Covid as a deadly pathogen. Lastly, while sources of information were similar, the occupation of the consumer had a marked impact on their risk mitigation behavior. Research findings can be utilized by researchers and policy makers in fine tuning their approaches public perception in future crisis events as well as refine different approaches for varying media platforms which have different consumption patterns.