Grant: CIHR Fellowship

COVID-19 has caused a global public health emergency. While waiting for a vaccine, governments are using a number of policies that focus on changing people behaviour to stop the spread of the virus. However, for these policies to work and stop the spread of COVID-19 and improve the economy, people need to actually do (adhere to) the recommendations. For people to adhere to these policies they need: 1) to be aware of the policies; 2) see the policies as important; and 3) feel able to actually do the things they are being asked to do. All of these 3 things are influenced by where people are from, who they are, their current health, and the environment around them. Unfortunately, policies have changed over time and the exact polices and how people are told about the policies (messaging) varies greatly between and within countries. This has led to uncertainty among people about what is behind the government decisions and confusion about which policies to follow. The iCARE Study is a global survey that captures data on peoples' awareness, attitudes, and behaviours in relation to COVID-19 policies. We also ask how the pandemic is impacting peoples' physical and mental health, economic situation, and quality of life. In addition to over 70,000 survey responses, we collect data on number of cases and deaths, information about policies across different countries, and how people are moving about in their countries. These data will be linked and analysed together to understand which government policies are (or are not) influencing population behaviour, and in whom these policies are most or least effective. Of note, iCARE study has significant impact, and has been working directly with the government of Canada (supervisor Lavoie is on federal COVID-19 advisory board), as well as the governments of Ireland and Australia.