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Public Support for Government Actions During a Flu Pandemic: Lessons Learned From a Statewide Survey

Department of Advertising, Public Relations, and Retailing at Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan

Karen Hilyard, PhD

School of Advertising & Public Relations at University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee

Vicki S. Freimuth, PhD

Department of Speech Communication and the Grady School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia

J. Kevin Barge, PhD

Department of Communication at Texas A&M University, Houston, Texas

Michele Mindlin, MUP

Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Public Health, Atlanta, Georgia

To better inform public health officials during a flu pandemic, this study analyzes a representative statewide telephone survey among 1,602 adults to examine knowledge and perceptions about a flu pandemic, trust in government, and support for government actions in a flu pandemic. The findings show citizens do not understand what avian/bird flu is and how it evolves into a pandemic. They also seem to have divergent perceptions regarding the susceptibility and severity of a flu pandemic. More than half of the respondents trust the government to handle a flu pandemic and show strong support for many proposed government actions in a pandemic, except for offering non—fully approved drugs. The findings suggest public health and risk communicators should reinforce support for controversial actions through trust building and personalization of risks rather than mere education or publicity. Public education and engagement should also begin pre-pandemic and continue throughout all phases of the event.

Key Words: pandemic flu • crisis and risk communication • risk perceptions • support for government actions • trust • survey

Health Promotion Practice, Vol. 9, No. 4 suppl, 60S-72S (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/1524839908322114


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