Who does (not) adhere to COVID-19 preventive measures? Identifying subgroups based on risk perceptions and media use using latent profile analysis

Adherence to preventive measures is crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic. To develop an effective public communication strategy, it is important to know which groups of people are more or less inclined to adhere to particular measures and what the role of their media use is. Based on existing health communication theories (e.g., health belief model), this pre-registered study (https://osf.io/r4fe5/?view_only=67ab47b4cc554971a35e215f030d9f42) seeks to identify groups of people at risk for non-adherence to the COVID-19 preventive measures, based on their risk perceptions and media use. Using panel data from a representative sample of the Dutch population (N = 1,465), we applied Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) to identify subgroups at risk for non-adherence to the RIVM’s COVID-19 preventive measures based on their risk perceptions (i.e., perceived severity and susceptibility) and media use (i.e., traditional media, online news, health-related, and social media sources). Data collection took place during the first COVID-wave (May 2020). Based on a 3-class LPA solution, we identified three groups: average citizens (80%), unconcerned citizens (12%), and involved citizens (8%). Although average citizens often and involved citizens always adhered to the preventive measures and reported high levels of concern, the involved citizens were characterized by a significant higher media use. The unconcerned citizens partially adhered to the measures, and were further characterized by lower risk perceptions and media use compared to the other two groups. The identification of these subgroups paves the way for developing tailored communication strategies for future preventive measures for both this and future pandemic health crises.