“Policy and communication choices national leaders make have a measurable impact on the effectiveness of a pandemic response,” writes scientists and public policy experts Christine Crudo Blackburn and Leslie Ruyle from the Texas A&M University who have spent several years analysing how countries prepare and respond to pandemics.

Government communication  to the public becomes an important aspect of dealing with the coronavirus because of the nature of the disease and its preventive measures. Social distancing and quarantine, the two most effective ways to stop the spread of the infection, are both measures that people have to follow on their own. In order for them to follow their government’s orders, people need to:

• Trust their government
• Believe that following the orders are important
• Understand the severity of the situation

After 6 months of the first case in January, some countries like India, Australia, and Spain are starting to now impose second lockdowns, curfews, and containment zones at local or regional levels after relaxation in restrictions led to second waves. This time we have some learnings on communications from countries like Germany, New Zealand, Taiwan, and Singapore that had better results with citizens trusting and following their government’s orders during the initial lockdowns as compared to other countries.

5 Ways Governments Can Effectively Communicate During the Pandemic

1. Focus both on personal and social reasons for following the preventive measures

There are two types of cultures. One is high-context or pro-social cultures where people are more willing to do things for the benefit of society even if they have some personal costs. On the other hand, people in low-context or individualistic cultures believe we should be responsible for one’s own self and safety, and should not be asked to give things up for the benefit of the larger good. 

A recent Cambridge survey that studied people’s attitudes with respect to the coronavirus showed that different countries differ in this aspect. The UK, the US, and Germany turned out to be highly individualistic, while Italy and Mexico turned out to be more social.

Source: University of Cambridge

This has implications for whether or not people will follow the restrictions, depending on how they are framed. For example, are people asked to stay inside their homes so that they don’t catch the virus — or so that they don’t spread the virus to others in case they are asymptomatic and infected? The researchers say that health risk communication messages, therefore, tend to be most effective when they include information about the effectiveness of measures at both a personal and societal level.

This is also helpful because while the country as a whole might have one culture, there might be foreigners residing within the country that might not fit that prevalent culture.

2. Constant and honest communication with the public

One common thing between the governments of all the countries that had people following the government’s orders was that they provided constant and honest communication to the public. This is because it helps people build trust with the government, and consequently comply with its orders.

For example, Taiwan, which has been applauded for its response to the pandemic, focussed heavily on transparent communication with its citizens. They activated an office aimed specifically to gather and regularly share information about the virus, its effects, and its prevention with the public. Similarly, New Zealand also did daily briefings with top officials, as well as answered journalists’ questions.

Being honest and transparent at this time also means sharing what the governments and medical science don’t yet know. Though it might seem that sharing uncertainty might erode the public’s trust in the government, research shows it has only a minor impact.

Countries like Germany which focussed on sharing everything that they knew, as well as being honest about what they didn’t, in this time of misinformation, helped people trust the government and persuade them to stay calm and follow the rules, according to the chairman of The Berlin Institute of Health Axel Radlach Pries.

The Cambridge study shows the same thing. People in Germany believed that they understood the government’s strategy and trusted the government to deal effectively with the pandemic.

3. Be empathetic

Leaders of countries like New Zealand and Germany that have done well have shown empathy, kindness, and compassion for the public that is dealing with uncertainty, fear, and death.

For example, Germany’s chancellor Angela Merker framed the crisis in a calm and caring way, emphasising on the human side of the crisis. She referred to “father and grandfather, a mother and grandmother” when talking about the victims. Similarly, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Arden’s leadership style has become popular for being emotionally connected with the public. In one of her March addresses, she acknowledged and thanked the country for the daily sacrifices that were about to make in the coming days. She ended the conference with “Please be strong, be kind, and unite against Covid-19.”

4. Collaborate with influencers to build trust

Influencers are people who have influence over your target audience. Hence, collaborating with them helps get the message across effectively.  

For example, the famous basketball player Stephen Curry interviewed Dr. Anthony Fauci, a key member of the White House’s pandemic response team, over an Instagram Live.

Also, local officials with direct contact with the public, like faith leaders, radio personalities, or locally elected councillors might be more persuasive than the central or state government politicians. For example, a 2015 study on the Ebola outbreak shows that Muslim faith leaders were better able to discourage people from pursuing religious norms like touching and washing deceased victims. In India, locally elected councillors who are neighbours and people just like the public, are better able to convince them of using the local clinics as compared to doctors and nurses.

5. Communicate with the minorities

Some of the most disadvantaged groups in terms of health are those that won’t understand the national language and won’t have access to digital channels through which the government is communicating. During the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, lack of information material in local language left those people, especially women, older people, and people with disabilities, out of the loop.  Hence sharing information in local as well as simple language is important.

Similarly, mediums besides social media like radio and videos on TV should be extensively used. Similarly, pictorial formats that are easier to understand like larger fonts and bright contrasts are another good measure to adopt, according to Translators Without Borders. 

Government and crisis communications are two of our key specialisms and we are passionate about working with countries. If you are interested in working together on COVID communication in your country, please reach out to Farzana Baduel at [email protected]

Curzon PR is a London-based PR firm working with clients globally. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our Business Development Team [email protected]