Pandemic management and preparedness in Austria: experiences and expectations across society from a vignette-based qualitative study

Introduction Pandemic preparedness depends not only on biomedical capacity, but also on public trust, legitimacy, communication, and the perceived fairness of crisis measures. This vignette-based qualitative study explored how participants from diverse professional and social backgrounds in Austria reason about priorities, responsibilities, and appropriate responses in future pandemic scenarios. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews with 28 participants and analysed the transcripts using inductive thematic analysis. Results Participants understood pandemic governance as a societal and political challenge rather than a purely technical one. Five themes were identified: the critical role of independent and interdisciplinary experts; communication as an essential component of trust, adherence, and error culture in pandemic management; the pandemic as a mirror of broader societal weaknesses, including fragmented governance and declining solidarity; data governance as a foundation for informed decision-making; and education and mental health as priorities in pandemic response. Discussion The findings suggest that future pandemic preparedness requires strengthening institutional transparency, coordinated decision-making, inclusive communication, usable health data, and sustained attention to psychosocial consequences before crises emerge.