Behavioral Insights on COVID-19 in the Kyrgyz Republic

WHO Regional Office for Europe advises that comprehensive pandemic responses be informed by multiple sources of data, including behavioural insights (BI). To provide a tool for this, the Regional Office, supported by the University of Erfurt, Germany, launched a protocol and questionnaire for BI data collection in April 2020. As the COVID19 pandemic evolves, it is essential to continue monitoring public perceptions of risk, protective behaviors, trust, health literacy and vaccination intentions to enable health authorities and other stakeholders to implement appropriate responses.

This is a serial, cross-sectional study. Using a questionnaire adapted from the Regional Office, data are collected by computer assisted telephone interviews (CATI), computer assisted web interviews (CAWI) or a combination of both from a representative sample of 1000 adults over 18 years of age. Data are analysed using the R Framework.

The purpose of this study is to conduct rapid and adaptive monitoring of these factors over time and to assess the relations between them. Results contribute directly to the COVID-19 response in
the areas of communications and messaging, interventions, programmes and policy – alongside epidemiological and vaccination uptake data and economic, cultural, ethical, structural, political and other considerations.