COVID-19 pandemic: Public attitudes and opinions on a global health crisis among residents in Sarawak, Malaysia

Wan Hashim Wan Ibrahim; Jun Zhou Thong; May Chiun Lo; Abang Azlan Mohamad; Jia Lie Ching

doi:10.5055/jem.0777

Authors

Wan Hashim Wan Ibrahim, DPhil
Jun Zhou Thong, MSc, PhD Candidate https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2107-8766
May Chiun Lo, PhD https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0767-7834
Abang Azlan Mohamad, PhD https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6266-8450
Jia Lie Ching, MSc

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5055/jem.0777

Keywords:

attitudes, opinions, practices, COVID-19, Sarawak, Malaysia

Abstract

In Sarawak, Malaysia, several exceptional safety precautions and measures were adopted to prevent the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic from spreading. Individuals’ attitudes and opinions have impact on their obedience toward control procedures. Sarawak residents’ attitudes and opinions toward COVID-19 were investigated in the present study. An online questionnaire developed using Google Forms was completed by 1,462 residents from all 12 divisions in Sarawak. The findings show that most Sarawak residents have positive attitudes and opinions about current standard operating procedures (SOPs) toward COVID-19. More than half of the respondents stand unbiased for the effectiveness of these SOPs, while most respondents have a neutral standpoint regarding the current law enforcement. The partial least square regression results found using the WarpPLS 7.0 software indicate that Sarawak residents’ attitudes, opinions about current SOPs, and their effectiveness are significantly linked to practices for the prevention of COVID-19 outbreak, whereas these residents’ opinions about current law enforcement were observed to have no significant relationship with proper practices for measures.

Author Biographies

Wan Hashim Wan Ibrahim, DPhil

Professor, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan, Malaysia

Jun Zhou Thong, MSc, PhD Candidate

Economics and Business, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan, Malaysia

May Chiun Lo, PhD

Professor, Economics and Business, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan, Malaysia

Abang Azlan Mohamad, PhD

Lecturer, Economics and Business, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan, Malaysia

Jia Lie Ching, MSc

Graduate, Economics and Business, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan, Malaysia

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