Study title: Public health and media messaging during the COVID-19 outbreak
Thank you for your interest in this research study. The aim of this study is to investigate reactions to a range of public health messages and news stories relating to the novel coronavirus outbreak.
The researchers conducting this study are:
- Associate Professor Ciara Greene, School of Psychology, University College Dublin, Ireland
- Dr. Gillian Murphy, School of Applied Psychology, University College Cork, Ireland
Why am I doing this research? By participating in this research you are helping us to understand the factors the influence how people respond to public health and media messages about COVID-19.
Why have you been invited to take part? You have been invited to take part because you are over 18 years of age.
What will happen if you decide to take part in this research? This online survey will present you with some public health messages and news headlines related to the coronavirus outbreak and the political events that followed it. You will be asked to record your opinion as well as share your thoughts and beliefs about the COVID-19 crisis. You will also be asked to complete some quick vocabulary and reasoning tests. Participation will take approximately 15 minutes.
How will your data be used? The anonymous data will be collected through an online survey platform and stored electronically on their database. It will be deleted from this server after one year. The downloaded data will be stored on an encrypted computer for an indefinite period. It will be seen by members of the research team and may be uploaded to an online data repository where it can be downloaded by others. These data will be entirely anonymous, and can never be linked with your identity or used to identify you.
How will your privacy be protected? The data you provide will be entirely anonymous, and cannot be used to identify you or linked back to you in any way. You will be identified by an anonymous ID code only, and no identifying information will be collected. We will ensure that no clues to your identity appear in the write-up. Any extracts from what you say that are quoted in the write-up will be entirely anonymous. If you choose to participate in a follow-up study to this experiment, you will be asked to provide an email address so we can contact you. Your email address will be securely stored and will be used only to contact you for this follow-up study and to link your responses to the original study with your responses to the follow-up study. Once the responses have been linked, your email address will be replaced with an anonymous code, and the email address will be deleted. Your contact information will not be passed on to anyone else or used for any other purpose.
What are the benefits of taking part in this research study? There is no direct benefit to you from taking part in this study, but we hope you will find it interesting and enjoyable.
What are the risks of taking part in this research study? Some people may find reading news headlines about the coronavirus distressing. If you feel that reading about the coronavirus will cause you distress, please do not participate. Contact details for support services will be provided at the end of the study, which can be skipped to at any point.
Can you change your mind at any stage and withdraw from the study?’ Participation is entirely voluntary and you can withdraw from this study now or after you begin. After you submit your data, it will be anonymised and cannot be withdrawn. If you decide to quit the survey part-way, we would ask that you click the ‘end survey now’ button rather than just exiting your browser. This will bring you to a page with links to support services as well as some more information about the survey and our objectives.
How will you find out what happens with this project? The results may be published in a research article in a scientific journal or described in the media. No clues to your identity will appear in any publicised results.
Contact details for further information: Please contact Dr. Ciara Greene via email at ciara.greene@ucd.ie if you would like any further information about the study.
If you agree to take part in the study, please click I Consent below to begin the survey, acknowledging that:
- You understand the purpose of the study and are participating voluntarily
- You are aware that you can withdraw at any time, even after starting the survey. If you wish to withdraw, please click ‘end study now’ which will bring you to a page with information about the study and links to further information
- You understand that your anonymity will be ensured