What is the appropriate information delivery method? Post-pandemic survey in Japan, Germany, and the United States

Purpose This paper explores people’s responses and perception of information supplied by actors across various societal sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, Germany, and the United States. Design/methodology/approach Descriptive and regression analyses were conducted using survey data covering 1,572 individuals in the three countries. Findings There are three key findings. First, information published by governments is considered highly reliable, while the perception of fairness was evaluated as second lowest after news media. Conversely, the perceived fairness of information provided by healthcare professionals is ranked relatively high. Information reliability from family/friends is almost as high as information disseminated by government and healthcare professionals, and the perceived fairness is the highest. Second, people transmit information from family/friends to others as actively as information given by governments and news media. Government information influences daily life the most, although the impact of information provided by news media and family/friends is also significant. Third, people tend to obtain information mainly from family/friends, news media, and government. However, the contact time for collecting information through social media is relatively low. Originality/value The study examines individual differences in information perception and attitude and analyses the association with individual characteristics to identify important factors.