HOW NIGERIANS’ PRO- AND ANTI-GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATION BEHAVIOURS (MEGAPHONING) AND COMPLIANCE VARIED DURING THE COVID-19 LOCKDOWN BASED ON GENDER, AGE, EMPLOYMENT SECTOR, AND POLITICAL PARTY PREFERENCE

Research Problem: Risk communication literature on the COVID-19 pandemic often describes government communication to persons at risk but seldom describes citizens’ communication about the government, which is equally important. Therefore, this study investigated Nigerians’ pro-government and anti-government communication behaviours during the pandemic, focusing on how they varied with gender, age, sector of work and political party preference. Methods: This study adopted a quantitative design, using the survey method. It used a convenience sampling technique to recruit 401 adult Nigerians, among whom 141 (35.2%) were females and 260 (64.8%) were males. The research instrument was an online questionnaire, and the data collected were analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. Results: The T-test analysis showed that the males and workers in the private sector spoke and argued more against the government COVID-19 lockdown policy than the females and workers in the public sector, respectively. Also, the adults spoke and argued more in favour of the lockdown policy and complied more with the regulations than the youths. Participants who did not prefer the political party in government spoke more against the policy and complied less with regulations than participants who preferred the government in power. Conclusion: The study concluded that variation existed in the communication behaviours of Nigerians and their compliance with lockdown regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic, based on gender, age, employment sector and political party preference Key Contribution to Knowledge: Nigerians’ demographic and political characteristics accounted for variation in their communication behaviours for and against the government during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recommendation: This study recommends that the variation in Nigerians’ demographic and political characteristics should be considered while designing and implementing government risk communication strategies in tackling pandemics in the future.