Citizens’ Expectations from Government in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study in Iran

Abstract

Abstract Background: The government is the main body in charge of controlling epidemics; hence, expectations from government’s intention and capacity would affect citizens’ behavior and flexibility. Given the severity of COVID-19 pandemic and an urgent need for people's cooperation in the prevention and combat processes, understanding the public perspectives would be crucial and instructive. This study aimed to explore such perspectives towards the current pandemic among the Iranian. Indeed, we sought to provide a favorable platform for effective policies in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic by recognizing public expectations.Methods: This cross sectional study used an open-ended online questionnaire to investigate the common perspectives of the Iranian towards government’s response to COVID-19 pandemic. The participants were selected using snowball and convenient sampling techniques across the country. The collected data were analyzed and described using thematic content analysis. Results: In general, 2547 participants agreed to participate in this study and completed the online questionnaire. According to the findings, the Iranian exhibited several expectations regarding the government's response to COVID-19 pandemic, based on which three main themes were extracted: (1) health-related expectations, (2) policy-related expectations, and (3) mass media-related expectations. In this study, a majority of the participants highlighted the need to consider and follow-up the patients and their families, provide financial and hygiene support during the pandemic, apply strict restrictions, and have close monitoring and controlling procedures. Furthermore, they mentioned that authorities and news agencies should observe honesty and transparency principals. Conclusions: Our findings revealed that people expect the government and other responsible institutions to minimize the burden of this pandemic on them through adopting effective policies. The study findings could help policy-makers become aware of people's expectations and develop better strategies.