Responding to COVID-19 in African Countries

Ipsos conducted public opinion polls on behalf of the Partnership for Evidence-Based Response to COVID-19 (PERC), a consortium of global public health organisations and private sector firms. PERC was created in March 2020 with the objective of providing African Union Member States with real-time information and guidance to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on the continent.

The polling was conducted in 18 African Union Member States to understand the public’s knowledge, risk perception, attitudes, access to information, reactions, behaviours and practices related to COVID-19.

Key findings in Egypt:

1. Public Health and Social Measures (PHSMs) support and adherence: Support for almost all PHSMs in Egypt is similar compared to other African Union (AU) Member States surveyed. Self reported adherence for these measures is also relatively low, particularly for measures that restrict public gathering and economic activity.
2. Risk perceptions and information: While most respondents in Egypt agree that COVID 19 will infect many people in the country, only one in four respondents in Egypt believe they are personally at risk. Many respondents in Egypt hold misconceptions or believe rumors or myths that could undermine adherence to PHSMs.
3. Essential health services: Half of surveyed Egyptian households that needed medical care have had difficulty accessing health care visits, and 38% of those needing medicines reported that access has been difficult during the COVID 19 crisis. Some respondents in Egypt with suspected COVID 19 symptoms were unable to access care.
4. Economic burden and food security: Over half of respondents in Egypt report having lost income since last year, and a similar proportion are facing barriers to accessing food. These burdens are particularly acute for low income households.

This Executive Summary is supplemented by the Data Deck with the full set of data.

Access first wave findings