Understanding of Numerical Information during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Public Health Communication
• Health Literacy

Background:

• The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic frequently involved complex numerical data in media reports.
• Understanding these numerical concepts (e.g., exponential growth, reproduction number) is crucial for public health awareness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate difficulties in understanding COVID-19 related numerical information.
• To examine the relationship between these difficulties and numerical competence, reflective thinking, and risk proneness.

Main Methods:

• 163 participants completed a COVID-19 specific numeracy scale (COV Numeracy Scale).
• Participants also underwent objective and subjective assessments of numeracy, cognitive reflection (Cognitive Reflection Test - CRT), and risk proneness.
• Data on affective states and COVID-19 information seeking were collected.

Main Results:

• Higher COV Numeracy Scale scores correlated with better performance on health numeracy, CRT, and self-assessed cognitive abilities.
• COV Numeracy Scale scores positively correlated with the number of consulted information sources.
• Accuracy in the CRT significantly predicted COV Numeracy Scale scores, accounting for approximately 14% of the variance.

Conclusions:

• Individuals with lower reflective thinking and numeracy skills face greater challenges comprehending COVID-19 numerical information.
• This disparity can disadvantage individuals in navigating public health information during pandemics.
• Findings emphasize the need for cautious and clear communication of complex numerical data in public health messaging.