Severe acute respiratory syndrome (
SARS)
was a sudden disaster that interrupted daily life. It became a
challenge for the whole of society. Living, especially how to live
well, was no longer a matter of philosophical debate but a
necessity. So, did SARS change people's thinking?
Who is the most reliable: family and government
Panic over SARS overwhelmed people initially because there was
insufficient information about the disease and fears were fuelled
by rumor. According to a telephone survey of 321 Beijingers, from
Horizon Research, about 75 percent of residents believed family
members were the most reliable; 57.6 percent of residents said that
they could trust the government; 39.6 percent of people thought
friends were the most reliable; 33.3 percent of people believed
that they could trust hospitals and 23.4 percent respondents said
they trusted the media. As much as 22.4 percent of respondents
trusted their colleagues and 20.2 percent of respondents trusted
their units during the SARS period.
Who are the most respected? Doctors and nurses
Soldiers, teachers and scientists used to be the answer when asking
people who the most respected person was. During the SARS period
though, people have changed their answers to doctors and nurses.
According to telephone investigations to 1,200 respondents in
Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hohhot, Yinchuan, Xi'an, Zhengzhou
and Wuhan, made by the Social Survey Institute of China (SSIC), as
much as 73 percent of respondents said that they now understood the
meaning of the phrase: "doctors are just like patients' parents",
with some even having had prejudice about doctors before. Some 92
percent of respondents believed that doctors and nurses are the
most respected people in the SARS battle, and 89 percent of
respondents said that Doctor Zhong Nanshan was a hero.
How to prevent SARS? Ventilation, frequent hand washing,
decrease social activity
Washing hands and ventilation were the two measures people took to
prevent SARS. According to telephone research of 855 citizens in
Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenyang, Xi'an and Chengdu, as many
as 97.3 percent and 96.3 percent of people adopted ventilation and
washing hands frequently as the two measures to prevent SARS. About
86 percent and 85.2 percent of people took enough rest to reduce
pressure and avoid the chance to join parties. Some 62.7 percent of
people disinfected their homes and things. Other 51.2 percent of
people had taken preventive medicine to protect them from getting
SARS.
What kind of information were people interested in? The progress
of medical research, publication of epidemic situation information
and knowledge on SARS prevention.
When asking respondents which information they were interested in,
about 27.8 percent of people chose the progress of medical
research. The result comes from telephone investigations made by
Renmin University of China Consensus Research Institute and
Beijing Youth Daily. The survey was compiled with the help
of 396 Beijingers. The research shows about 24.3 percent of
citizens were interested in information on the SARS situation
including the number of SARS cases, deaths and the recoveries.
Another 20.9 percent of respondents showed their interest in the
SARS prevention.
Where did the citizens go to get SARS information? Television
and newspapers
In
order to fight SARS, the government not only mobilized all its
power from society to cure and prevent SARS, but published all
information on the epidemic. Television, newspapers and other media
became the main source for the public to get SARS information.
According to Horizon Research's survey of 321 Beijingers, 96.9
percent of people got SARS information from television, 84.4
percent from newspapers, with about 44.9 percent from their units
and colleagues. However, the Internet and short message media also
occupied 38.3 percent and 20.2 percent in the research
respectively.
What was the most necessary measure? The government publishing
the real facts on the epidemic situation
According to Horizon Research's research of 321 Beijingers, 86.8
percent of citizens showed their satisfaction of the measures that
were adopted by the government. When asked what the most necessary
measure was during the SARS period, 62.6 percent of respondents
believed that the government publishing the real epidemic situation
was the most necessary measure. About 53.3 percent of respondents
believed that China should establish a perfect epidemic prevention
system. About 49.5 percent of citizens said the government should
have published situation information relevant to SARS cases and
their areas. About 34.6 percent of citizens believed that the
Chinese government cooperated well with WHO, and 34.3 percent of
citizens believed the government encouraged and supported medical
staff in the SARS situation. Some 20.6 percent of citizens said the
government should help and reimburse SARS patients, especially poor
people.
Which word would express the public's feeling now? Calm
Public panic has decreased as the government paid a lot of
attention to the epidemic and issued a lot of publicity during May.
According to investigations by Horizon Research of 321 Beijingers,
65.4 percent of citizens used "calmness" to describe their
feelings, and 50.5 percent of citizens showed that they would
continue to stay alert to the epidemic. However, about 39.6 percent
of people used "optimism" and 27.4 percent of people used
"relaxation" to describe their feelings. About 23.7 percent of
people thought they had no alternative to SARS. Only 9.3 percent of
people still used "panic" and 2.2 percent of people use
"affliction" to describe their feelings.
(China.org.cn by Wu Nanlan May 29, 2003)