Can local governments’ disclosure of pandemic information decrease residents’ panic when facing COVID-19 in China?

Abstract

When COVID-19 wreaked havoc around the world and caused widespread panic, Chinese government has taken pandemic information disclosure measures to fight the outbreak. However, there is a theoretical debate about whether information disclosure increases or decreases panic of residents during a pandemic. In response to this debate, the authors conduct a questionnaire survey with 1062 participants in the worst period of COVID-19 in China. The results reveal that both generic information and detailed information disclosure can alleviate panic by enhancing individuals’ perceived prevention effectiveness and increase panic by amplifying individuals’ risk perception. In addition, information disclosure is more effective in reducing panic in conditions with a higher level of trust in local government. These findings provide practical evidence for the role of information disclosure in alleviating panic in a pandemic, and suggest that pandemic information timely disclosed by the local government is feasible to ease the spread of panic.