Open AccessPublic Attitudes and Factors of COVID-19 Testing Hesitancy in the United Kingdom and China: Comparative Infodemiology Study
Author(s) -
Leesa Lin,
Yi Song,
Qian Wang,
Jialu Pu,
Fiona Yueqian Sun,
Yixuan Zhang,
Xinyu Zhou,
Heidi J. Larson,
Zhiyuan Hou
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
jmir infodemiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2564-1891
DOI - 10.2196/26895
Subject(s) - china , mainland china , pandemic , public health , covid-19 , descriptive statistics , medicine , psychology , public relations , political science , nursing , pathology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , law , statistics , disease , mathematics
Background Massive community-wide testing has become the cornerstone of management strategies for the COVID-19 pandemic. Objective This study was a comparative analysis between the United Kingdom and China, which aimed to assess public attitudes and uptake regarding COVID-19 testing, with a focus on factors of COVID-19 testing hesitancy, including effectiveness, access, risk perception, and communication. Methods We collected and manually coded 3856 UK tweets and 9299 Chinese Sina Weibo posts mentioning COVID-19 testing from June 1 to July 15, 2020. Adapted from the World Health Organization’s 3C Model of Vaccine Hesitancy, we employed social listening analysis examining key factors of COVID-19 testing hesitancy (confidence, complacency, convenience, and communication). Descriptive analysis, time trends, geographical mapping, and chi-squared tests were performed to assess the temporal, spatial, and sociodemographic characteristics that determine the difference in attitudes or uptake of COVID-19 tests. Results The UK tweets demonstrated a higher percentage of support toward COVID-19 testing than the posts from China. There were much wider reports of public uptake of COVID-19 tests in mainland China than in the United Kingdom; however, uncomfortable experiences and logistical barriers to testing were more expressed in China. The driving forces for undergoing COVID-19 testing were personal health needs, community-wide testing, and mandatory testing policies for travel, with major differences in the ranking order between the two countries. Rumors and information inquiries about COVID-19 testing were also identified. Conclusions Public attitudes and acceptance toward COVID-19 testing constantly evolve with local epidemic situations. Policies and information campaigns that emphasize the importance of timely testing and rapid communication responses to inquiries and rumors, and provide a supportive environment for accessing tests are key to tackling COVID-19 testing hesitancy and increasing uptake.