Young People Cannot be Complacent About COVID-19
By Doug Evans
A friend of mine is a health care provider at a major urban hospital center. Like many of us, she’s consumed with how the coronavirus (COVID-19) has affected her work and life 24/7. I checked in with her the other day because, well, I’m checking in with all my friends and loved ones right now (a blessing and a curse of working from home). In a lighthearted comment, she told me the story of her usually optimistic husband, also a health care provider. Her husband was standing in the grocery store check-out line and heard the college-age couple behind him complaining about what a hassle all this “coronavirus crap” was and how it was messing up their social life. In an out-of-character moment, he lashed out at them and then walked out.
That story got me to thinking about complacency and this crisis, especially among young people. I mean, the threat is invisible, we’ve never encountered it before, we don’t know how severe it will be (although we’re getting an idea now, for sure), or how long it will last. Meanwhile, young people see that they are less at risk, authority figures are taking away their freedom and they can’t socialize in public without attracting criticism (remember those Spring Breakers partying on the Florida beaches?). So maybe it’s not so hard to understand the college-age couple and their viewpoint.
Early reports on the virus showed very few young people getting infected. At the same time, our leaders in some states and at the Federal level have sent out mixed messages, talking about keeping the economy open at the risk of increasing infections and death rates. So, maybe you’re really a patriot if you keep going out to bars, restaurants, and partying on the beach? That would be a big NO, but we can understand how some young adults would get that message and complain when they can’t go out and keep socializing.
The mainstream news media has struggled to frame this crisis in ways that everyone can appreciate and relate it to their own experience. For many young people, the risks seem remote, abstract, and hey, there’s nothing I can really do about it anyway. That’s a classic mix for inaction, even complacency. Psychology and behavioral theory tell us that, and we can see it in action with those young people in bars and on the beaches.
Social media has also played a role in spreading misinformation about the coronavirus crisis, fake cures, and downplaying the risks of gathering in public groups. At the same time, platforms like Google, Facebook, and Twitter have tremendous potential to share risk messages, raise awareness of how to stay safe and healthy, and fight complacency. They can also help to get accurate information out and keep all of us, but especially those who might be complacent otherwise, ready to protect ourselves and those around us. Recently, they took steps to do just that in a joint statement. Time will tell what impact the statement will have but it is a good first start.
As more data on infections and deaths come out, one thing is clear: Coronavirus can affect almost anyone, and even young people can be at risk if they have underlying health conditions. So, while it may be tempting to criticize that next young couple voicing complaints, a more effective strategy might be to take a deep breath and start a conversation. Let’s try to raise young people’s awareness of their own risks, the steps they can take to protect themselves and others — and make them part of the solution. We need all the help we can get!
Doug Evans, PhD, is a Professor of Prevention and Community Health and Global Health at The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health.
