PERS Recipient
Research Area: Risk Management
Presenter Name: Izaria Ferguson, Leigh Lambert, Dr. Lynal Albert
Corresponding Author: Dr. Lynal Albert
Department: Mechanical, Environmental and Civil Engineering
Student Classification/Affiliation: Junior/Senior
Abstract: Crisis communication is a critical component of risk management when aiming to curb, minimize or mitigate the adverse effects associated with a hazard to a specific population. The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the importance of effective crisis communication. The worldwide response to these drastic life changes has varied from one region to another. While the various contingency measures have been recognized as effective in curbing the spread of disease globally, enforcement of these measures among various populations differ due to varied crisis management strategies in those regions. The objective of this study was to analyze the responses to crisis communication in different regions by analyzing several key pandemic specific societal norms. The trends seen in these pandemic specific norms affected each population uniquely due to varying strategies and messages adopted during the crisis. Differences in crisis communication methods can lead to distinctive responses in outrage caused by the pandemic Outrage is pertinent to risk management especially in situations where public participation is critical. Outrage can be a combined reaction of many actions and emotions such as need for control, responsiveness, anger, trust, dread, or disappointment. Our study investigates the influence that crisis communication has on the overall perception of the pandemic thus resulting in varied responses among different population groups. These responses are a direct manifestation of population outrage. Analyzing these trends in population outrage during a crisis can help improve future pandemic crisis communication to eventually help bridge the gap between public outrage and the true risk at hand.