When it comes to the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and the effectiveness of measures against the disease, many citizens worldwide do not trust their governments or health authorities. This brief essay discusses several psychological mechanisms which, under certain conditions, lead people to ignore important sources of information and hinder effective management of the epidemic. The paper shows that understanding psychological mechanisms, such as information neglect, cognitive dissonance, psychological reactance, and, in general, the diversity of people's thinking styles, may help leaders design more effective government communications.

Center of Behavioral Experiments Prague Czechia

Faculty of Business Administration Prague University of Economics and Business Prague Czechia

Faculty of Social Sciences Charles University Prague Czechia

Institute for Behavioral and Economic Studies Prague Czechia

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