As new cases of the Coronavirus emerge in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, YouGov’s ongoing tracker captures public sentiment around COVID-19 and shows how residents in the two countries are reacting to the rising number of infections.

 

The latest data reveals that 62 per cent respondents in both the countries who were surveyed between March 11 and 18 said they are ‘very scared’ or ‘fairly scared’ about contracting the Coronavirus. 30 per cent on the other hand are not very or not at all scared.

 

Although older people are believed to be the most vulnerable to this pandemic, a third of respondents in UAE and Saudi Arabia aged 45+ years (34 per cent) said they are either not very scared or not at all scared about getting infected.

 

Among the genders, a higher number of women than men in the two countries are fearful of acquiring the virus (67 per cent vs 60 per cent). Likewise, married residents with children are more worried than the single respondents (65 per cent vs 58 per cent).

 

Both locals and expats seem to be fearing the pandemic. In the UAE, Arab expats seem to be the most panic-stricken, with 69 per cent of them saying they are very scared or fairly scared about contracting the virus. Emiratis are equally scared – at 67 per cent. Fear among Asian and western expats is lower- at 61 per cent each.

 

In Saudi Arabia, expats are more afraid about getting the infection as compared to locals (68 per cent expats vs 62 per cent Saudis).

 

The widespread level of fear explains the vast majority of people taking some kind of safety precautions to protect themselves. The most common precaution has been to improve personal hygiene, such as washing hands more frequently or using sanitiser, which three-quarter residents (76 per cent) are doing.

 

Almost as many (73 per cent) avoid crowded places. Roughly half the respondents refrain from touching objects in public (57 per cent) and avoid physical contact with tourists (49 per cent).

 

Many wear a face mask in public (37 per cent) and are avoiding consumption of raw or uncooked meat (32 per cent). One in five have stopped going to work (20 per cent).

 

Given the massive media coverage on the issue, it is not surprising to see that the vast majority (95 per cent) of UAE and Saudi Arabia residents are aware of the outbreak and have heard of either ‘Coronavirus’, ‘Wuhan virus’ or ‘COVID-19’.

 

Most (70 per cent) feel well-informed about what to do if they suspect they have coronavirus. UAE residents tend to be more knowledgeable about handling this situation than Saudi Arabia residents (74 per cent vs 67 per cent). But 18 per cent of all respondents do not have enough information, with young adults being especially likely to feel this way (24 per cent of 18-24 years old respondents).

Witnessing the wide scale frenzy around the outbreak, a quarter of respondents have stockpiled supplies in their house, although a majority (68 per cent) haven’t done it yet.

 

Many people have modified their travel plans to avoid any risk of getting infected. 36 per cent have already cancelled plans to travel overseas due to COVID-19, and 21 per cent are delaying booking future travel. One in five (19 per cent) are more cautious and are thinking of cancelling all future travel plans.

 

There are few (6 per cent) who seem unperturbed and are planning to go ahead with their arranged overseas trips, while few others (4 per cent) are actively looking to travel overseas or have already booked an overseas trip.-- Tradearabia News Service