Survey Tool and Guidance: Rapid, simple, flexible behavioural insights on COVID-19
This document provides guidance to Member States in the WHO European Region that wish to conduct behavioural insights studies related to COVID-19.
The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak is placing an overwhelming burden on health systems and authorities to respond with effective and appropriate interventions, policies and messages.
A poorly timed and managed pandemic response or transition phase can threaten the gains collectively achieved. The pandemic and its restrictions may have affected mental and physical well-being, social cohesion, economic stability as well as individual and community resilience and trust (1-5).
In this complex context, understanding how, why and the context in which humans and communities respond allows to
1) anticipate unwanted scenarios and initiate mitigating measures; and
2) implement pandemic response measures that are better informed, situated, accepted and thus more effective.
Population surveys can explore perceptions, acceptance of restrictions, mental and physical health, behaviours, information needs, misperceptions and more.