RAPID: Psychological distance and risk perception related to the 2022 monkeypox outbreak

This project assesses public risk perceptions of the 2022 monkeypox outbreak. By late summer 2022 there were over 13,000 monkeypox cases in the U.S., and the White House declared this outbreak a public health emergency on August 4, 2022. Limiting spread would seem to require a comprehensive, international vaccination strategy targeting high-risk groups. There is still much unknown, however, about this outbreak. This research examines unique attributes of the monkeypox outbreak that shape public risk perceptions. Further, this project examines the extent to which risk perceptions influence Americans’ intention to engage in preventive behaviors and support public health response measures. These research questions warrant attention now because they will provide important insights for health and risk communication that can potentially shape the progression of this outbreak. The goals of the proposed research are: 1) integrate the psychometric paradigm, secondary risk theory, and construal level theory to evaluate whether uncertainty is key to secondary risk appraisal; 2) evaluate the relationship between psychological distance, mental construal, risk perceptions, discrete emotions, and risk mitigation decisions; 3) identify unique attributes of the monkeypox outbreak that influence the public’s support for response measures and intention to engage in preventive behaviors. These objectives will be achieved through a large-scale survey (N = 1,000) based on a nationally representative sample. Results can be generalizable to the entire U.S. population. As media coverage is shaping public risk, and members of the public are negotiating their internal and external uncertainty related to the outbreak, it is crucial to conduct this research immediately because it is not too late for high-risk groups to make decisions about preventive behaviors. Identifying unique attributes of the monkeypox outbreak that may motivate people to engage in preventive behaviors will offer crucial insights for risk communication messaging. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.