Exploring Individual Behaviours

1 Exploring Individual Behaviours and Attitudes Related to Wearing Face Masks During the COVID-19 Pandemic XXXXXXX Student ID: XXXXXXX Swinburne University Online PSY10005: Introduction to Research Methods XXXXXXXX XXXXXXX Word count: XXXXX 2 Exploring Individual Behaviours and Attitudes Related to Wearing Face Masks During the COVID-19 Pandemic In 2019, the rapid spread of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) led to a 2020 World Health Organisation (WHO) pandemic declaration (Moran et al., 2021). World governments and health organisations prioritised mitigating the disease through measures such as distancing and mask-wearing. These were some of the non-pharmacological interventions (NPI) to prevent the spread of the disease that became common internationally. However, the commitment of the population was to comply with the policies and change their behaviour for the safety of the population. During the pandemic, a common preventative measure stood out amongst the rest, and that was the wearing of face masks (Badillo-Goicoechea et al., 2021). The covering of the face and the nose reduced the risk of inhaling coronaviruscontaminated fluids and, as many experts say, had the most influence on the virus's progression (Eikenberry et al., 2020). This research design explores the attitudes and behaviours of individuals towards wearing masks, the social media predicators like Facebook and Twitter on the outcomes of wearing masks. AIMS OF RESEARCH This research design aims to meet two major objectives. Firstly, to determine the primary factors that influence the attitudes and behaviours related to wearing a face mask during the COVID-19 pandemic. The second aim is to determine the relationship between various predictors and the disease spread rate across different populations during the pandemic. 3 Research Question What is social media’s influence on individuals’ attitudes, both positive and negative, and behaviours related to wearing face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic? Hypothesis It is predicted that, increased exposure to positive information on social media regarding mask wearing will enhance an individual’s adoption and compliance, thus reducing virus transmission. LITERATURE REVIEW The COVID-19 pandemic, declared by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2020, prompted widespread public health measures to mitigate its spread (Moran et al., 2021). Among these measures, face mask-wearing emerged as a pivotal preventive strategy (Eikenberry et al., 2020). Research has shown that proper mask usage can significantly reduce the risk of inhaling coronavirus-contaminated aerosols (Eikenberry et al., 2020). Consequently, understanding the determinants of individuals' attitudes and behaviours towards mask-wearing is essential for effective public health interventions. Several studies have explored these determinants, shedding light on the factors influencing mask compliance. Badillo-Goicoechea et al. (2021) conducted a global study and identified trends and predictors of face mask usage during the pandemic. Their findings highlighted the importance of individual-level factors, such as perceived susceptibility and perceived benefits, in shaping mask-wearing behaviour. Moreover, Benham et al. (2021) conducted a qualitative study focusing on public health measures, revealing barriers to compliance and providing insights into messaging strategies. 4 Social media has played a significant role in disseminating information and shaping public perceptions during the pandemic (González-Padilla & Tortolero-Blanco, 2020). Studies like that of Iberszer et al. (2023) have specifically explored the influence of social media on the fight against COVID-19. However, while social media can be a powerful tool for health communication, it can also contribute to the spread of misinformation and uncertainty, which may affect mask-wearing behaviour. Chin et al. (2021) conducted a social media study in Taiwan, analysing the evolution of public behaviour and attitudes towards COVID-19 measures, including mask-wearing. Doogan et al. (2020) employed topic modelling analysis of Twitter data to assess public perceptions and attitudes towards non-pharmaceutical interventions, including masks, across six countries. Their findings indicated variations in public sentiment and information dissemination, emphasising the need for targeted communication strategies. Eikenberry et al. (2020) used modelling techniques to assess the potential impact of public mask-wearing on curbing the pandemic. Their study highlighted the potential benefits of widespread mask adoption in reducing virus transmission. Furthermore, Kaine et al. (2022) studied compliance with COVID-19 measures in New Zealand, providing insights into realworld behaviours and factors influencing adherence. To date, the reviewed studies have contributed valuable insights into the factors influencing mask-wearing behaviour. However, notable gaps exist in the literature. These gaps pertain to the role of social media as both a source of information and misinformation, the varying effectiveness of communication strategies, and the need for a comprehensive understanding of the outcomes associated with mask-wearing. 5 The research proposal aims to address these gaps by examining the influence of social media on individuals' attitudes and behaviours regarding mask-wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic. By exploring the relationship between social media exposure, public attitudes, and the adoption of mask-wearing practices, this study seeks to provide evidence-based recommendations for public health messaging strategies. Additionally, the research will assess the impact of mask-wearing behaviour on disease transmission rates, further contributing to our understanding of the effectiveness of this preventive measure. In summary, while existing research has laid the foundation for understanding maskwearing behaviour, this proposed study will extend the current knowledge base by focusing on the role of social media and assessing its influence on attitudes, behaviours, and disease outcomes during the pandemic. RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE The proposed research is expected to be valuable for future pandemics as it will utilise social media platforms like Facebook to convey guidelines' importance in preventing disease spread (Moran et al., 2021). Furthermore, it will assess the impact of socio-cultural values on adherence to health guidelines and explore how educating society about their negative effects can improve compliance with preventative measures. Practical outcomes of this research aim to provide an insight into future measures that policy makers and WHO can utilise to increase adherence to policies surrounding disease control. The research will focus on a broad range of socio-cultural factors that shape behaviours and attitudes of individuals and communities, including concerns regarding the cost of face masks. By leveraging social media, public health authorities can disseminate 6 information about affordable or subsidised mask options, addressing cost-related barriers, especially for individuals occupying condensed public spaces like public transport (Kane et al., 2022). Thus, playing a significant role fulfilling an individual’s needs and in turn increasing their adherence to health guidelines. Furthermore, the study will also help strengthen the beliefs and shape the attitudes towards disease intervention in the future through providing policy awareness and highlighting the consequences of non-adherence. This study will strengthen, educate and shape an individual’s attitude towards disease prevention. At the conclusion of this research, factors that influence the use of NPI would be identified as well as barriers in the interventions and the means to overcome them. RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES Study Design and Population The research proposal intends to use quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. These mixed methods, involving both quantitative and qualitative data collection, allow for a comprehensive examination of attitudes, behaviours, and factors related to maskwearing during the pandemic. Quantitative data provide statistical trends and prevalence rates, while qualitative data offer nuanced insights into the motivations and perspectives of individuals from diverse socio-cultural backgrounds and countries like Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Data Collection The surveys focus on the attitudes of different populations towards wearing masks, the frequencies of an individual’s mask usage and the sources that people obtain their 7 information about COVID-19. The application programming interface (API) from Twitter will be instrumental in collecting data by collecting tweets during the pandemic from various users (Badillo-Goicoechea et al., 2021). The Facebook survey will consist of a two-stage process that will eliminate bias using a representative sample approach. This will help to compile data only for the participants in the survey (Doogan et al., 2020). The next stage will involve a comparison of age and gender distribution among the platform users. The study will also use interviews to explore the attitudes and perceptions of various populations on the use of face masks. Individuals' opinions vary; thus, the research aims to definitively identify the potential barriers and factors influencing the utilisation of face masks. Data Analysis This is qualitative data analysis used in survey research to examine the relationship between multiple independent variables (predictors) and a binary dependent variable (outcome) while accounting for survey weights to illustrate the relationship between wearing face masks and the hypothesis (Badillo-Goicoechea et al., 2021). At the conclusion of this study the data collected will be utilised to illustrate the negative and positive influence that social media has on individuals wearing face masks. Conducting a comparative data analysis will also indicate the relationship between various socio-cultural values and wearing masks. The qualitative data analysis will analyse the interviews from various online and face-to-face respondents and eliminate any risk of bias. SCOPE AND PROBLEMS According to several studies (Badillo-Goicoechea et al., 2021; Eikenberry et al., 2020; Kaine et al., 2022), the use of face masks has been found to significantly reduce the 8 transmission of COVID-19 within a population. However, several factors negatively and positively influence the use of face masks. An understanding of these is a crucial part of encouraging positive attitudes and behaviours towards complying with face masks policies during a pandemic as disease prevention strategies. The studies in the literature review primarily consist of cross-sectional research, relying on non-random samples for their data. When the samples are not random, there is a potential for compromise on the representativeness of the data. Consequently, this would lead to several biases whose elimination depends on statistical correction (Moran et al., 2021). Another issue is the need to consider the changes in the factors that influenced the behaviour and attitudes of individuals during the pandemic. Additionally, there are issues regarding the results of various studies. While others reported the measures of the impact magnitude of the intervention and excluded the statistical significance, others reported the correlation information only. Finally, there is concern about the demographical representation of users of Twitter and some of the countries of research, as well as the use of the analysis of only English tweets (Doogan et al., 2020). The issues mentioned above raise a higher potential for bias when examining the effects of social media on the use of face masks.