MapLab: Maps May Not Be the Best Covid Persuasion Tool
Dot maps displaying total case counts may undermine their intended purpose, a new survey suggests.
Courtesy of Johns Hopkins University
As Covid-19 spreads uncontrolled across the U.S. amid a slow vaccine rollout, what would compel more people to don masks, avoid indoor gatherings and exercise social distancing? Based on the results of one survey, probably not maps.
New research published in JAMA Network Open suggests that while some maps can successfully communicate infection rates, they seem to have little impact on intentions to follow public health guidance, and some maps might actually undermine perceptions of risk.