A national survey of attitudes to COVID-19 digital contact tracing in the Republic of Ireland

Abstract

Background Contact tracing remains a critical part of controlling COVID-19 spread. Many countries have developed novel software applications (Apps) in an effort to augment traditional contact tracing methods. Aim Conduct a national survey of the Irish population to examine barriers and levers to the use of a contact tracing App. Methods Adult participants were invited to respond via an online survey weblink sent via e-mail and messaging Apps and posted on our university website and on popular social media platforms, prior to launch of the national App solution. Results A total of 8088 responses were received, with all 26 counties of the Republic of Ireland represented. Fifty-four percent of respondents said they would definitely download a contact-tracing App, while 30% said they would probably download a contact tracing App. Ninety-five percent of respondents identified at least one reason for them to download such an App, with the most common reasons being the potential for the App to help family members and friends and a sense of responsibility to the wider community. Fifty-nine percent identified at least one reason not to download the App, with the most common reasons being fear that technology companies or the government might use the App technology for greater surveillance after the pandemic. Conclusion The Irish citizens surveyed expressed high levels of willingness to download a public health-backed App to augment contact tracing. Concerns raised regarding privacy and data security will be critical if the App is to achieve the large-scale adoption and ongoing use required for its effective operation.

Concerns and Misconceptions About the Australian Government’s COVIDSafe App: Cross-Sectional Survey Study

“…With regard to open-ended text responses, 25% of participants in our study who did not download the COVIDSafe app were concerned about privacy. This is lower than the 31% in the smaller Australian study [ 10 ] and the 41% in the Irish study [ 11 ] who believed privacy was a problem. The differences in these percentages may be due to the free-text responses available in our survey, as the other studies used a list of options for participants’ responses.…”

“…The differences in these percentages may be due to the free-text responses available in our survey, as the other studies used a list of options for participants’ responses. Additionally, compared to the 11.1% of participants in our survey who did not download the app because they distrusted the government, there was more distrust in postpandemic government surveillance with Irish participants (33%) [ 11 ] and participants in the cross-country survey (42%) [ 12 ]. When considering communication strategies for improving contact tracing app downloads and use, better communication approaches are needed to put the public’s concerns about privacy and the government at ease.…”

“…However, based on other surveys in which participants were asked whether they intended to download hypothetical apps, the acceptability of contact tracing apps is higher in other countries. For example, in a recent online survey from Ireland (N>8000) [ 11 ], when asked about downloading a contact tracing app that was not yet available, 58% of participants said they would download it and 25% said they probably would [ 8 ]. Additionally, in another online survey with almost 6000 participants from 5 countries (ie, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France, and the United States), 75% of participants said they definitely or probably would install a contact tracing app [ 12 ].…”

Health Care Students’ Knowledge of and Attitudes, Beliefs, and Practices Toward the French COVID-19 App: Cross-sectional Questionnaire Study

“…Overall, international and French surveys (eg, [ 16 - 18 , 27 ]) have showed a higher acceptance of a contact tracing app than the real use we found in our study. Percentages of potential use of the app range from 38.4% [ 16 ] to 84% [ 21 ], which are substantially higher than the 4.7% (15/138) of respondents in our study who were using StopCovid. However, the lowest rates of acceptance for a contact tracing app were found mostly in France: 38.4% [ 16 ] and 44% [ 27 ].…”

“…Educational attainment, the presence of serious underlying health conditions, and the respondents’ stance on COVID-19 infection risks were also correlated with the predicted adoption rate. A national online survey on the Irish population (n=8088 responses) [ 21 ] showed that 84% of respondents would probably or definitely download the app. The most common reason for downloading the app was helping family members and friends (79%), and with a sense of responsibility to the wider community (78%).…”