In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, CCOUC joins hands with multinational experts from Canada, the Philippines and the United Kingdom to undertake a cross-country comparative rapid research on the role of communication strategies and media discourse in shaping psychological and behavioral response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The research project is funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

This 20-month research project aims to contribute to a better understanding of how the risk information is delivered by authorities and media, and how it is received, understood and used by the public. Such knowledge is urgently needed to develop effective social measures to promote preventive health behaviours and mitigate the negative psychological and behavioral consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak.