Who would the Australian public trust to tell them about bird flu? Results of an Australia-wide CATI survey

Authors

Sandra C. Jones, University of WollongongFollow
L. Waters, University of Wollongong
Don C. Iverson, University of WollongongFollow

RIS ID

21592

Publication Details

This conference paper was originally published as Jones, SC, Waters, L and Iverson, D, Who would the Australian public trust to tell them about bird flu? Results of an Australia-wide CATI survey, Proceedings of the Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy (ANZMAC) Conference, 2007, 1619-1626.

Abstract

A potential bird flu pandemic is currently the cause of much debate worldwide. Successful control efforts will require effective risk communication, and the choice of credible spokespeople is critical to prevent panic and elicit the desired public responses. This paper reports the results of one Australia-wide CATI survey which examined the Australian public’s preferred sources of information on bird flu and credibility of spokespeople in the event of a bird flu pandemic in Australia. Our results indicate medical personnel and organisations are perceived by the public as being the most credible sources for delivering information about bird flu. These findings have vital implications for any communication campaigns about bird flu.