1
Supplementary results
Figure
S
1. Timeline of events early in the United States COVID
-
19 pandemic. Days of current study data acquisition shown in gray.
News events in green are most relevant for United States. COVID
-
19 data acquired from
European Centre for Disease Prevention
and Control
(
https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications
-
data/download
-
todays
-
data
-
g
eographic
-
distribution
-
covid
-
19
-
cases
-
worldwide
).
Major news events retrieved from National Broadcasting Company (NBC) News, Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)
News, and Cable News Network (CNN)
.
Sources
:
https://www.cbsnews.com/live
-
updates/coronavirus
-
updates
-
cases
-
fears
-
death
s
-
us
-
latest
-
2020
-
03
-
16/
;
https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/geographical
-
distribution
-
2019
-
ncov
-
cases
;
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health
-
news/coronavirus
-
timeline
-
tracking
-
critical
-
moments
-
covid
-
19
-
n1154341
;
htt
ps://www.cnn.com/2020/03/13/politics/donald
-
trump
-
emergency/index.html
;
https://www.cbsnews.com/live
-
updates/coronavirus
-
disease
-
covid
-
19
-
latest
-
news
-
2020
-
03
-
17/
;
https://www.cbsnews.com/live
-
updates/coronavirus
-
disease
-
covid
-
19
-
latest
-
news
-
2020
-
03
-
17/
2
Figure
S2
. Demographics of survey
participants
. The red dotted line on the lower panel represents the median age
(30 years).
3
Question
df
F
휼
풑
ퟐ
p
How likely do you think you are to catch the virus?
2, 1588
4.959
0.006
0.036
How badly do you think your health will be affected if
you do catch the virus?
2, 1588
29.112
0.035
<.001
How badly do you think you
will be affected
economically if you specifically catch the virus (for
example through loss of work)?
2, 1588
0.192
0
0.826
How badly do you think you will be affected by the
global effects of the virus (for example economic
recession, reduced
healthcare capacity)?
2, 1588
0.315
0
0.811
How likely do you think it is that a loved one will
become infected?
2, 1588
1.454
0.002
0.39
How likely do you think the average person in your
neighborhood is to become infected?
2, 1588
3.997
0.005
0.062
How likely do you think the average person in your
state is to become infected?
2, 1588
1.769
0.002
0.342
How likely do you think the average person in the
USA is to become infected?
2, 1588
0.706
0.001
0.617
If you do contract the virus, how
likely do you think it
is that you will pass it on to someone else?
2, 1588
1.295
0.002
0.392
If you do contract the virus and pass it on to
someone else, how badly do you think they would be
affected?
2, 1588
2.389
0.003
0.23
Table S1. Effects of age
on risk perception. Reported
p
values
are FDR corrected.
4
Question
df
F
휼
풑
ퟐ
p
How likely would you be to attend an event with 10 other
people?
2, 1588
11.6
0.014
<.001
How likely would you be to attend an event with 50 other
people?
2, 1588
4.596
0.006
0.031
How likely would you be to attend an event with 100 other
people?
2, 1588
2.948
0.004
0.127
How likely would you be to attend an event with 500 other
people?
2, 1588
1.792
0.002
0.224
How likely would you be to attend an event with
1000 other
people?
2, 1588
0.566
0.001
0.62
I avoid watching/reading the news about the virus because it
makes me worried.
2, 1588
9.783
0.012
<.001
The virus has caused me to avoid in
-
person social interactions
(e.g., friends, family,
co
-
workers, strangers).
2, 1588
10.726
0.013
<.001
I am buying more sanitary products (e.g. soap, hand sanitizer)
than I normally would
2, 1588
1.768
0.002
0.224
I am buying more food and water than I would normally
2, 1588
1.681
0.002
0.224
I am
washing my hands more than I would normally
2, 1588
0.436
0.001
0.646
I am staying home more than I normally would
2, 1588
1.96
0.002
0.224
I am travelling less than I would normally
2, 1588
2.08
0.003
0.224
Table S2. Effects of age on
protective behaviors. Reported
p
values are FDR corrected.
5
Figure S
3
. Effects of age on
risk perception
. Note: Y axes are restricted to
display differences
between groups.
Figure S
4
. Effects of age on protective behaviors. Note: Y axes are restricted to
display differences
between
groups.
6
Question
df
t
p
How likely do you think you are to catch the virus?
1511
-
0.41
0.754
How badly do you think your health will be
affected if you do catch the
virus?
1511
0.86
0.62
How badly do you think you will be affected economically if you
specifically catch the virus (for example through loss of work)?
1511
0.56
0.716
How badly do you think you will be affected by the global
effects of
the virus (for example economic recession, reduced healthcare
capacity)?
1511
0.78
0.62
How likely do you think it is that a loved one will become infected?
1511
-
0.02
0.985
How likely do you think the average person in your
neighbourhood is
to become infected?
1511
-
0.87
0.62
How likely do you think the average person in your state is to become
infected?
1511
1.12
0.62
How likely do you think the average person in the USA is to become
infected?
1511
1.76
0.264
If you do
contract the virus, how likely do you think it is that you will
pass it on to someone else?
1511
4.57
< .001
If you do contract the virus and pass it on to someone else, how badly
do you think they would be affected?
1511
2.02
0.22
Table S3.
Effects of sex on risk perception. Reported
p
values are FDR corrected.
7
Question
df
t
p
How likely would you be to attend an event with 10 other people?
1511
-
0.25
0.817
How likely would you be to attend an event with 50 other people?
1511
-
0.71
0.639
How likely would you be to attend an event with 100 other people?
1511
-
1.01
0.537
How likely would you be to attend an event with 500 other people?
1511
-
1.6
0.326
How likely would you be to attend an event with 1000 other people?
1511
-
1.45
0.356
I avoid watching/reading the news about the virus because it makes
me worried.
1511
2.84
0.047
The virus has caused me to avoid in
-
person social interactions (e.g.,
friends, family, co
-
workers, strangers).
1511
2.66
0.047
I am buying more
sanitary products (e.g. soap, hand sanitizer) than I
normally would
1511
-
0.88
0.569
I am buying more food and water than I would normally
1511
1.06
0.537
I am washing my hands more than I would normally
1511
1.62
0.326
I am staying home more than I
normally would
1511
-
0.23
0.817
I am travelling less than I would normally
1511
-
0.43
0.804
Table S
4
. Effects of sex on protective behaviors. Reported
p
values are FDR corrected
8
Figure S
5
. Effects of sex on risk perception. Note: Y axes are restricted to
display differences
between groups.
Figure S
6
. Effects of sex on protective behaviors. Note: Y axes are restricted to
display differences
between
groups.
9
Question
df
F
휼
풑
ퟐ
p
How likely do you think you are to catch the virus?
3, 942
2.32
0.007
0.148
How badly do you think your health will be
affected if you do catch
the virus?
3, 942
1.093
0.003
0.39
How badly do you think you will be affected economically if you
specifically catch the virus (for example through loss of work)?
3, 942
2.101
0.007
0.164
How badly do you think you will be
affected by the global effects of
the virus (for example economic recession, reduced healthcare
capacity)?
3, 942
2.322
0.007
0.148
How likely do you think it is that a loved one will become infected?
3, 942
1.372
0.004
0.312
How likely do you think
the average person in your neighbourhood
is to become infected?
3, 942
3.185
0.01
0.093
How likely do you think the average person in your state is to
become infected?
3, 942
1.892
0.006
0.185
How likely do you think the average person in the USA is to
become infected?
3, 942
0.995
0.003
0.395
If you do contract the virus, how likely do you think it is that you
will pass it on to someone else?
3, 942
3.046
0.01
0.093
If you do contract the virus and pass it on to someone else, how
badly do you
think they would be affected?
3, 942
3.354
0.011
0.093
Table S5. Effects of location on
risk perception
. Reported
p
values are FDR corrected