At the start of the pandemic, young Singaporeans regarded COVID-19 as a threat to the older generation but not to themselves, finds NTU Singapore study

During the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, young Singaporeans understood the infectious disease to be risky for their parents and older relatives, but not themselves, an NTU Singapore study has found. The study led by NTU Assoc Prof Edson Tandoc Jr and researcher James Lee Chong Boi, which involved eight focus group discussions with 89 participants held in early February, found that rather than actively seeking information about COVID-19, many young adults got their news about the virus from social media platforms and messaging platforms such as WhatsApp. This shaped their behavioural response to the outbreak, such as not wearing face masks, which was not mandated in the early stages of the outbreak. Perceiving the virus as not a big threat to their age group, the participants said that they were more focused on combating the spread of misinformation.  Assoc Prof Tandoc, who led the study, said: “Fighting misinformation is particularly crucial in a time like this, when information flows quickly through channels like social media and messaging apps, to protect not just ourselves but also others in the community.”