Spain COVID-19 Snapshot MOnitoring (COSMO Spain): Monitoring knowledge, risk perceptions, preventive behaviours, and public trust in the current coronavirus outbreak in Spain

Project summary The Spanish Ministry of Health and the Institute of Health Carlos III plan to conduct a serial, cross-sectional study to assess the public’s risk perceptions, behaviours, trust, knowledge and other variables related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a questionnaire, data will be gathered by a data collection company via online panels every two months extending the data collection over time as long as the epidemic continues. The focus of the research is to inform effective and appropriate outbreak response interventions, policies and messages. Research questions relate to identify ● levels of and changes in relevant COVID-19-related variables (such as risk perceptions, knowledge, self-efficacy, confidence in institutions, health literacy, vaccine hesitancy, behaviors, affect, worry, resilience, trust in/use of information sources and more). ● whether participants report that they are aware of specific recommended behaviours and adhere to them; ● whether certain patterns can be identified through stratifying data, e.g. as relates to o whether changes in risk perceptions relate to characteristics or events of the pandemic and other variables; o whether risk perceptions or other variables relate to prevention behaviours o whether low knowledge and adverse behaviours relate to certain sources of information. This approach allows a citizen-centred approach where insights into population perceptions and behaviours inform COVID-19 actions, alongside epidemiological data and considerations of economic, cultural, ethical, structural political nature and other. Despite limitations noted in this application, this survey can have an important impact on the health and well-being of all citizens and residents in Spain.