Exploring People's Perception of COVID-19 Risk: A Case Study of Greater Jakarta, Indonesia

This study aims to understand people's perceptions of COVID-19 risk in Greater Jakarta, Indonesia. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indonesian government enacted a health protocol campaign and highlighted the community as an important unit of protocol compliance. We hypothesized that people's perception of the likelihood of being infected with COVID-19 is associated with health protocol compliance at the community level and their perception of community resilience. As the number of infected persons drastically increased, the family cluster also became a significant issue in the pandemic response, especially in Indonesia. In this study, we explored both community and family aspects that influence people's perceptions. We conducted an online survey in March 2021 with 370 respondents residing in the Greater Jakarta area. The respondents were classified into four age groups (20s, 30s, 40s, and 50-and-over), with gender-balanced samples allocated to each group. We used a questionnaire to measure the perception of COVID-19 risk along with the Conjoint Community Resiliency Assessment Measure (CCRAM). Multiple regression analysis revealed that family factors have a much larger influence on the individual perception of the likelihood of contracting COVID-19 than community factors. The results suggest that the link between family-level efforts against COVID-19 and individual-level perceptions cannot be separated in response to the pandemic.

Automated summary

This study examines how people in Greater Jakarta, Indonesia perceive the risk of COVID-19. The government has emphasized the importance of community compliance with health protocols in response to the pandemic. The study finds that family factors have a greater influence on individuals' perception of COVID-19 risk than community factors, highlighting the interconnectedness between family-level efforts and individual-level perceptions in pandemic response.