Impact of Social Media on Risk Perception And Preventive Behaviors Toward Covid-19 In Saudi Arabia

Background and Aims: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an unprecedented pandemic in which social media can play a pivotal role in shaping public risk perception and enhances compliance with preventive behaviors. This study aimed to assess the impact of social media on risk perception and preventive behaviors toward COV- ID-19 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Methods: The study was conducted through a social media web-based survey on the adult population (872 responses). It comprised four parts: Socio-demographic Characteristics and Scales of Social Media Exposure to COVID-19 Risk Information, Perceived Role of Social Media during COVID-19 Pandemic; Risk Perception, and Preventive Behaviors. Results: A majority of the study respondents fall under the moderate and high category for all scales; preventive behaviors (9.2%, 88.0%) with a mean rank of 4.35 ±0.71; risk perception (25.6%, 68.1%) a mean rank of 3.57 ±0.69; the perceived role of social media (33.5%, 59.3%) with a mean rank of 3.48 ±0.59 and exposure to COVID-19 risk information (30.3%, 48.3%) with a mean rank of 3.31 ±0.9; respectively. Social media exposure to COVID-19 risk information and the perceived role of social media were significant predictors of both COVID-19 risk perception and preventive behaviors. Conclusions: Social media was the main source of health information about COVID-19 and had a major significant impact on risk perception and preventive behaviors among adults in Saudi Arabia.