Percezione del rischio e adozione di misure di protezione: un’indagine esplorativa al tempo del primo lockdown da Covid-19 in Italia

This article discusses the results of a study that collected information on a sample of 2,183 individuals through a web survey, conducted in Italy during the period of the first lockdown linked to COVID-19 and aimed at exploring the theme of risk perception at the time of the pandemic. Specifically, the paper will examine two aspects: (a) the socio-demographic char-acteristics of the respondents about risk; (b) the relationship between risk perception and the likelihood of adopting behaviours aimed at averting contagion.As regards the first point, the results show that those with a lower perception of risk are males, older, unmarried. The level of education only affects the fear of not surviving in the event of contagion (those with higher qualifications are less afraid). Concerning the second aspect, data show that those who per-ceive a greater risk tend to adopt individual protection measures with greater probability. The results of the study are useful for providing suggestions to improve the risk communication, that is a priority for public health agendas, and suggest to target it according to the specific profiles of the individuals to whom it is addressed.