The perception concerning the COVID-19 pandemic: case of Turkey

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the level of knowledge and perception of the Turkish society about the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This cross-sectional study whose sampling consists of 903 adults. Results: About half (49.6%) of the participants' information sources about COVID-19 composed of printed and visual media tools such as television, radio, newspaper, etc. 57.5% of the participants stated that their selfknowledge levels about COVID-19 were at a good level, whereas 19.7% of them at a very good level. 64.4% of the participants stated that their health would be seriously damaged if they get this virus; 58.9% of them thinks that this virus will severely damage their place of the resident; 50.9% of them stated that they trust that this crisis will be handled effectively by the health authorities of Turkey. Participants rated themselves an average of 8.7 points on compliance with COVID-19 measures. It was found that the participants had a 55% confidence in the Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board (Turkey) and the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding COVID-19. Conclusions: Like all over the world, health authorities also in Turkey have taken several measures in the context of fighting against the pandemic and they expect society to comply with these measures. The fact that individuals in the society fulfill their individual responsibilities by confirming the accuracy of the information took place in printed/visual and social media from reliable sources is an important factor in reducing the effects of infectious diseases.

Satisfaction with COVID-19 measures and financial expectations in Turkey

“…There is no significant difference in satisfaction by gender. These results are similar to some other studies (Williems et al, 2020;Enria et al, 2020;Hoşgör et al, 2021). Although not in terms of satisfaction with the government's measures, it been found that older individuals are more satisfied with their situation than young people in studies that are evaluated in terms of life satisfaction in the COVID-19 period in general (Bizdan-Bluma et al, 2020).…”

“…One of the interesting findings of this study is that 53.5% of the participants in general are not satisfied with the COVID-19 measures of the WHO. In association with the level of trust in the scientific committee and WHO, in another study conducted for Turkey, similar results were obtained (Hoşgör et al, 2021). A study for the USA found that over 38% of individuals doubted WHO's ability to manage the pandemic, and 38% had some confidence.…”

Investigation of the relationships between perceived causes of COVID-19, attitudes towards vaccine and level of trust in information sources from the perspective of Infodemic: the case of Turkey

“…In a study conducted in Nigeria during the pandemic, the most widely used sources of information regarding COVID-19 disease were traditional media, social media, internet, Nigeria Center for Disease Control, family / friends and political leaders respectively [ 12 ]. In a study conducted with 907 people in Turkey, the sources of information most trusted by individuals regarding COVID-19 were university / training-research hospitals in the city where they are located, the World Health Organization, and the Coronavirus Scientific Committee of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Turkey respectively [ 18 ].…”

Determination of Attitudes Towards COVID-19 Vaccine and Affecting Factors of Individuals Applying to the Family Health Center

“…Coronavirus disease-2019 [Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID- 19)], in which the first case was detected in December 2019 in the city of Wuhan, China's Hubei province, is an infectious disease that caused the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare it a pandemic (1,2). The COVID-19 pandemic harms the lives, health and economy of individuals.…”