Citizen Worry and Adherence in Response to Government Restrictions in Switzerland During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Repeated Cross-Sectional Online Surveys.

Background: Good communication between health authorities and citizens is crucial for adherence to preventive measures during a pandemic. Crisis communication often appeals to worries about negative consequences for oneself or others. While worry can motivate protective behavior, it can also be overwhelming and lead to irrational choices or become a mental health problem. Also, the levels and consequences of worry can differ between different groups of citizens. Little is known about the evolution of worries during the pandemic and adherence to measures in distinct groups.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate worries in the Swiss population as well as associations between worry levels and citizens' adherence to government restrictions during different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: We carried out an observational study with 4 cross-sectional online surveys of adults in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland. Questionnaires were distributed through social media and websites during 4 periods: survey 1: April 17 to May 14, 2020; survey 2: May 15 to June 22, 2020; survey 3: October 30 to December 12, 2020; and survey 4: June 18 to December 30, 2021. On visual analog scales from 0 to 100, participants reported worry, self-adherence to pandemic restrictions, and their perceived adherence to others. We used multivariable linear regression, adjusting for age, gender, health literacy, and education to assess associations between self-reported worry, adherence, and study periods.

Results: We collected 7106 responses. After excluding 2377 questionnaires (incomplete, age <18 years, residence outside Vaud), 4729 (66.55%) were analyzed (mean age 47, SD 15.6 years, 63.96% women). Mean worry across the 4 periods was 42/100, significantly higher in women (44.25/100, vs 37.98/100; P<.001) and young people (43.77/100 in those aged 18-39 years, vs 41.69/100; P=.005; in those aged 40-64 years and 39.16/100; P=.002; in those aged >64 years). Worries were higher during survey 1 and survey 3 (52.41/100 and 56.32/100 vs 38.93/100, P<.001; and 35.71/100, P<.001) than during survey 2 and survey 4, respectively. This corresponds to pandemic peaks during which federal restrictions were better followed with self-reported adherence of 84.80/100 and 89.59/100 in survey 1 and survey 3 versus 78.69/100 (P<.001) and 78.64/100 (P<.001) in survey 2 and survey 4. A 2.9-point increase in worry score, adjusted for the pandemic period, gender, age, education, and health literacy, was associated with a 10-point increase in personal adherence score (95% CI 2.5-3.2; P<.001).

Conclusions: Worries were higher in women, young people, and during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Higher worry levels were associated with increased self-reported adherence to federal restrictions. Authorities should consider population worry levels and population subgroups in the planning and design of pandemic communication.