Open AccessCorrecting misperceptions of exponential coronavirus growth increases support for social distancing
Author(s) -
Joris Lammers,
Jan Crusius,
Anne Gast
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.2006048117
Subject(s) - social distance , coronavirus , covid-19 , perception , psychology , social psychology , medicine , disease , virology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , outbreak , pathology , neuroscience
Significance Given the current lack of an effective vaccine to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), one of the most effective ways to prevent the illness is social distancing. At the same time, a sizeable portion of the public fails to see the necessity of such measures. We identify one root cause for this: People mistakenly perceive the coronavirus to grow in a linear manner, underestimating its actual potential for exponential growth. We show that correcting this perceptual error significantly increases support for social distancing. This research shows the importance of statistical literacy among the general public for increasing support to fight the coronavirus using the most effective method currently available.