When the Pandemic Impacts the Most Vulnerable: Analyzing Crisis and Risk Messages Aimed at Latinx Individuals about COVID-19

Abstract

Guided by the IDEA model, this pilot study analyzes the perceptions about coronavirus (COVID-19) messages created to be distributed to the Latinx community in the United States. This study has been conducted to test the research questions proposed and the instruments so a second study can be executed based on Latinx populations in Florida communities. A survey was distributed among students from different ethnicities. A comparative analysis was run with the responses from the students who identified as Latinx and the students who identified as non-Latinx. The results demonstrated that components such as internalization, explanation, and action are present in the messages distributed to both groups. The results also showed that only two dimensions of the IDEA model's components demonstrated significant differences between both groups. This research suggests that message tailoring could improve message effectiveness within each area of the IDEA model.