ArticleHealth expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy2021
Public attitudes towards COVID-19 contact tracing apps: A UK-based focus group study.
Article in Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 59 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
59 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Implementing Public Health Strategies-The Need for Educational Initiatives: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- Facilitators and barriers to engagement with contact tracing during infectious disease outbreaks: A rapid review of the evidence.PloS one · 2020Pooled it
- Attitudes of Longitudinal Study Participants and Members of the Public Towards Data Sharing for Secondary Research: A Survey Based Approach.Journal of empirical research on human research ethics : JERHRE · 2026Article
- Characteristics Influencing Support for the National Health Service COVID-19 App in England and Wales: Findings From a Longitudinal Survey.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- An individual's trust in government is a major determinant in the decision to voluntarily join a public health initiative.Israel journal of health policy research · 2025Article
- BARRIERS AND FACILITATORS TO PROVIDING COVID-19 CONTACT TRACING INFORMATION AMONG ADULT NIGERIANS.African journal of infectious diseases · 2025Article
- Identifying Barriers to the Adoption of Digital Contact Tracing Apps in England: Semistructured Interview Study With Professionals Involved in the Pandemic Response.JMIR formative research · 2024Article
- Exploring individual's public trust in the NHS Test and Trace System - A pragmatic reflexive thematic analysis.Internet interventions · 2024Article
- The Roles of Trust in Government and Sense of Community in the COVID-19 Contact Tracing Privacy Calculus: Mixed Method Study Using a 2-Wave Survey and In-Depth Interviews.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2024Article
- Perceptions of the Agency and Responsibility of the NHS COVID-19 App on Twitter: Critical Discourse Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
- An Examination of Responses to COVID-19 Contact-Tracing Efforts in Black/African American and Hispanic/Latinx Communities of Los Angeles.Health equity · 2024Article
- Citizen involvement in COVID-19 contact tracing with digital tools: a qualitative study to explore citizens' perspectives and needs.BMC public health · 2023Article
- Breaking the chain with individual gain? Investigating the moral intensity of COVID-19 digital contact tracing.Computers in human behavior · 2023Article
- Views and Needs of Students, Parents, and Teachers on Closed-Circuit Television, Proximity Trackers, and Access Cards to Facilitate COVID-19 Contact Tracing in Schools: Thematic Analysis of Focus Groups and Interviews.JMIR formative research · 2023Article
- Impact of Privacy Messaging on COVID-19 Exposure Notification App Downloads: Evidence From a Randomized Experiment.AJPM focus · 2023Article
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- Critical reflections on three popular computational linguistic approaches to examine Twitter discourses.PeerJ. Computer science · 2023Article
- Continued Use of Contact-Tracing Apps in the United States and the United Kingdom: Insights From a Comparative Study Through the Lens of the Health Belief Model.JMIR formative research · 2022Article
- Widening or narrowing inequalities? The equity implications of digital tools to support COVID-19 contact tracing: A qualitative study.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundDuring the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, one of the key components of many countries' strategies to reduce the spread of the virus is contact tracing.
objectiveTo explore public attitudes to a COVID-19 contact tracing app in the United Kingdom.
settingOnline video-conferencing.
participants27 participants, UK residents aged 18 years and older.
methodsQualitative study consisting of six focus groups carried out between 1st-12th May, 2020 (39-50 days into the UK 'lockdown').
resultsParticipants were divided as to whether or not they felt they would use the app. Analysis revealed five themes: (1) lack of information and misconceptions surrounding COVID-19 contact tracing apps; (2) concerns over privacy; (3) concerns over stigma; (4)concerns over uptake; and (5) contact tracing as the 'greater good'. Concerns over privacy, uptake and stigma were particularly significant amongst those stated they will not be using the app, and the view that the app is for the 'greater good' was particularly significant amongst those who stated they will be using the app. One of the most common misconceptions about the app was that it could allow users to specifically identify and map COVID-19 cases amongst their contacts and in their vicinity.
conclusionsOur participants were torn over whether digital contact tracing is a good idea or not, and views were heavily influenced by moral reasoning. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patients were involved in this study. The public were not involved in the development of the research questions, research design or outcome measures. A pilot focus group with participants not included in the present paper was used to help test and refine the focus group questions. Summary results were disseminated via email to participants prior to publication for feedback and comment.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.