CROSS-CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN RISK PERCEPTION AND RISK COMMUNICATION. A CASE STUDY ON THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK
CROSS-CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN RISK PERCEPTION AND RISK COMMUNICATION. A CASE STUDY ON THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this paper is to analyse cultural differences in attitudes towards perceived risk, during public health emergencies. In order for risk communication to be effective and to properly address people’s expectations and fears, political, social and economic factors should be taken into consideration. Moreover, since we consider cultural backgrounds to highly influence communication strategies, the main research questions of this paper are: to what extent cultural dimensions, such as high and low uncertainty avoidance or power distance, are visible in risk communication, and how the message is conveyed in cases of public health emergencies. The focus is on the discourse of state representatives or public institutions, such as ministries of health, in the context of the recent COVID-19 outbreak.

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