Understanding COVID-19 booster information seeking in a collectivist context: the roles of social expectations, trust in experts, and uncertainty

TL;DR

The study explores how people in collectivist societies like China seek information about COVID-19 boosters, emphasizing the roles of social norms, trust in experts, and uncertainty.

Contribution

This study extends the RISP model to a collectivist context, revealing how social norms and trust influence booster information-seeking behavior.

Findings

Informational subjective norms were the strongest predictor of information-seeking intentions.

Trust in experts was linked to higher perceived risks and reduced information insufficiency.

Uncertainty increased perceived ability to gather and interpret information.

Abstract

Effective public health communication relies on understanding how individuals seek information during health emergencies. While previous work has investigated vaccine hesitancy and acceptance, little is known regarding the psychological and social motivations behind COVID-19 booster information-seeking in collectivist societies.

This study extends the Risk Information Seeking and Processing (RISP) model to explore the impact of trust in experts, risk uncertainty, and subjective informational norms on the public’s intention to seek information regarding COVID-19 booster shots in China.

A national survey of 616 adults in China was undertaken. Structural equation modeling (SEM) examined hypothesized relationships among perceived advantages and disadvantages, affective responses, lack of information, trust in the expertise of others, uncertainty, perceived control over behavior, and social norms.

Informational subjective norms were the most significant predictor of intentions to seek information, indicating the influence of collectivist expectations on individual action. Trust in experts was positively associated with perceived risks and inversely related to perceived benefits—and decreased perceived information insufficiency. Uncertainty increased individuals’ perceived ability to gather and interpret information, but affective responses had limited direct effects.

Findings highlight the need to incorporate social norms, trust relationships, and uncertainty management into public health education campaigns to support vaccine promotion. This study offers empirical evidence for designing culturally adaptive communication interventions that promote booster uptake among collectivist societies and comparable environments.

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