Can public health messaging strengthen democracy?

In September 2020, I published a policy report with Heidi Tworek & Eseohe Ojo about Covid-19 communications in 11 international democratic jurisdictions, from Senegal to Sweden to Taiwan. Our goal was to identify best practices & produce actionable recommendations for policymakers.

We found that public health communications are a critical non-pharmaceutical intervention (NPI) that can save lives. And we learned that the best Covid-19 messaging drew on democratic ideas, rather than undermining them.

So, yes: the most effective pandemic communications are also a civic intervention. They can help citizens feel safer as well as more trusting, more resilient, & more sovereign.

8+ disciplines

11 case studies

8 collaborators

6 op-eds/essays

4 radio interviews

50 citations (Google Scholar)

1 feature in The New York Times

  • Between March & September 2020, we studied Covid-19 public health messaging in 11 democracies: Canada (federal), British Columbia, Ontario, Denmark, New Zealand, Germany, Norway, Senegal, South Korea, Sweden, & Taiwan.

    Our analysis drew upon multiple disciplines, including political theory, history, political science, social epidemiology & public health, media & communications studies, behavioural science, & sociology.

    Grounded in global best practices, we identified 5 principles (RAPID) that drive the most effective democratic public health strategies:

    • Rely on Autonomy, Not Orders

    • Attend to Values, Emotions, & Stories

    • Pull In Citizens & Civil Society

    • Institutionalize Communications

    • Describe It Democratically

  • Briefed top Canadian public health officials at multiple levels of government.

    Informed Covid-19 guidelines & best practices issued by healthcare bodies like the Ontario Hospital Association & the World Health Organization.

    Academic citations in Nature Medicine, Journal of Public Health, Nature Human Behaviour, Big Data & Society, Health, PLOS ONE, African Geographical Review, Perspectives on Politics, Health Research Policy & Systems, Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, Memory Studies, New Media & Society, OECD Working Papers on Public Governance, Politics & Gender, & elsewhere.

    Widespread media attention in The New York Times, New Republic, Financial Times, CNN, The Globe & Mail, TVO, CBC TV, CBC Radio, Global TV, STAT News, Vancouver Sun, Toronto Star, Ottawa Citizen, Winnipeg Free Press, Salt Lake Tribune, The Province, Maclean’s, & elsewhere.

  • Invited return guest on CBC Radio: Ontario Today with Rita Celli. 1-hour lunchtime call-in program about the language of lockdown (01/14/2021).

    Essay (with Heidi Tworek) at First Policy Response: “Beyond briefings: How Canadian officials can communicate more effectively during the COVID-19 endgame.” (01/13/2021).

    Essay (with Heidi Tworek) in The New Republic: “Simply Talking About the Pandemic the Right Way Can Help Rebuild American Democracy.” (12/24/2020).

    Invited guest on CBC Radio: Ontario Today with Rita Celli. 1-hour lunchtime call-in program about metaphors & public health. (12/11/2020).

    Interviewed on CBC Radio Edmonton: Radio Active with Adrienne Pan about Alberta’s Covid-19 messaging strategy (11/06/2020).

    Essay (with Heidi Tworek & Eseohe Ojo) at Policy Options / Options Politiques: “What we can learn from COVID communications in other countries.” (11/05/2020).

    Interviewed (with Heidi Tworek) on CBC Radio Ottawa: All In A Day with Alan Neal about Ontario’s Covid-19 messaging strategy (10/21/2020).

    Op-ed (with Heidi Tworek) in the Ottawa Citizen: “Ontario’s COVID-19 messaging needs a reset. Here’s what to do.” (10/19/2020).

    Extensive coverage in The New York Times, in Annalee Newitz, “Don’t Shame Your Neighbors.” (10/16/2020).

    Essay (with Heidi Tworek & Sudha David-Wilp) at the German Marshall Fund of the United States: “COVID-19 Has Democratic Lessons to Teach. Has Angela Merkel Helped Germany to Learn Them?” (10/02/2020).

    Op-ed (with Heidi Tworek) in The Province: “B.C. shouldn’t fear a pandemic election – it could strengthen our democracy.” (09/28/2020).

Heidi Tworek, Ian Beacock, & Eseohe Ojo. Democratic Health Communications during Covid-19: A RAPID Response (09/2020). Vancouver: UBC Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions. 116pp. [link]