Responding to COVID-19 in African Countries
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact societies, not only in terms of health, but also social and economic conditions and day-to-day life.
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 Mozambique:
- Support and adherence for personal Public Health and Social Measures (PHSMs): Support for PHSMs in Mozambique is high. The majority of respondents in Mozambique report adhering to preventive measures like washing hands, wearing masks, and avoiding public gatherings, but adherence to measures that restrict economic activity such as staying at home or reducing trips to markets is lower.
- Risk perceptions & information: Survey respondents in Mozambique have relatively high perceptions of disease risk and severity compared to other African Union (AU) Member States surveyed, despite the country’s smaller epidemic; this may reflect bordering South Africa’s large epidemic. Still, fewer than four in ten people believe they are at risk for catching COVID 19. Misconceptions and rumors about the virus are prevalent.
- Essential health services: A high proportion of survey respondents in Mozambique who needed medical care have had difficulty accessing health care visits (28%) or medicines (27%) during the COVID 19 crisis, and those with longstanding illnesses are particularly affected.
- Economic burden & food security: A majority of Mozambican respondents (68%) report income declines relative to last year, and three quarters (75%) are facing difficulty accessing food due to lost income, higher prices, or other barriers.
This Executive Summary is supplemented by the Data Deck with the full set of data.