Chapter 7 - Psychological and behavioral changes in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

An international survey and a series of panel survey onto anxiety and risk erception about COVID-19 imply that people's anxiety level was highest at the beginning of the pandemic but became lower as time went by and people got accustomed to the new disease. The results, together with “national” reports in Part 2 of this book, make it possible to surmise that the lower numbers of passengers among many public transport systems cannot be explained by the fear and anxiety of infections on board. Rather, it is likely to be attributed to the changes of working conditions and styles. Similar temporary reductions of passengers can occur in future epidemics: monitoring and simulating infection on board would remain an important measure to retain trust on the infection hygiene of public transport.