Heather Yu, Yemima Prophete, Hazal Kayalioglu, and Shatabdee Hawlader conducted an observational cross-sectional study to evaluate COVID-19 infections, vaccinations and booster rates, as well as the study sample’s beliefs and attitudes towards the virus and the pandemic. By surveying public health graduate students on Qualtrics, the group found that the majority of participants view COVID as a major health threat, and have taken the necessary precautions to protect themselves from becoming infected with the virus.
According to the study, many also believe that the US government remains highly unprepared for any future pandemics: 91% of respondents reported either “Not confident at all” or “Somewhat confident” when asked about the government’s level of preparedness for future pandemics. The group concludes that to build on this study’s findings, future research should minimize study bias by utilizing radomized and by sampling participants from a variety of socioeconomic and demographic backgrounds.