Investigating the Influence of Crisis Communication on Population Outrage amidst the Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the importance of effective crisis communication. Specifically, varied regional crisis communication has caused a substantial impact on how communities perceive the virus and its risks. Our research analyzes the COVID-19 crisis communication responses seen in the United States, Canada, France, Spain, Croatia, Israel, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Several pandemic specific societal norms were analyzed for positive and negative trends to capture population outrage, based on the various crisis communication measures implemented. The norms focused on include political intervention, mask use, travel restrictions, e-commerce, vaccination rates, and demand for disinfectants. These norms were identified because of their considerable uptick in heightened awareness in the public eye in light of the pandemic. The trends seen in these pandemic specific norms affected each population uniquely due to varying strategies adopted for crisis communication. Differences in crisis communication methods can lead to distinctive responses in outrage caused by the pandemic. For example, the United States' and the New Zealand's populations starkly juxtapose one another's crisis communication methods based on their outrage to pandemic specific societal norms. Our study investigates the influence that crisis communication has on the overall perception of the pandemic. Determining the influence that crisis communication has on population outrage can help improve future pandemic crisis communication to eventually bridge the gap between public outrage and the true risk at hand. © ASCE.