The role of personal experience, contemptuous beliefs and accountability after the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany: a mixed methods study.

BACKGROUND

Acceptance of containment measures during a pandemic depends not only on perceived effectiveness but also on personal experience, individual beliefs, and transparent public health communication.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the perceived usefulness of 15 non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to contain the spread of COVID-19, the association with personal experience, temporal perspective, individual beliefs, and public demands for accountability for politicians and scientists.

METHODS

In a cross-sectional online survey, 5116 adults in Germany rated the perceived usefulness of 15 pandemic NPIs across 3 points in time (temporal change). COVID-19-related experiences and agreement with eight contemptuous beliefs about pandemic management were assessed. Associations between temporal change, contemptuous beliefs, personal experience, and perceived usefulness of NPIs were investigated. Open questions were analysed using inductive content analysis.

RESULTS

Perceived usefulness of NPIs varied, with indoor mask mandates evaluated as most useful and nightly curfews as least. Temporal perspectives and personal experiences with COVID-19 infection or with Long-Covid showed small effects. Vaccination yielded the strongest group differences: vaccinated individuals rated the NPIs more useful than unvaccinated participants. Low perceived usefulness of NPIs was associated with stronger endorsement of contemptuous beliefs. Nearly half of participants supported accountability demands, primarily for politicians.

CONCLUSION

Evaluations of NPIs were strongly shaped by personal experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic, especially vaccination status. Perceptions that NPIs were useless or that rationales were not communicated transparently were strongly associated with negative evaluations and higher contempt. To sustain trust and compliance in future crises, policymakers should engage early with public concerns while acknowledging uncertainty.