ArticleJournal of medical Internet research2021
Early Perceptions of COVID-19 Contact Tracing Apps in German-Speaking Countries: Comparative Mixed Methods Study.
Article in Journal of medical Internet research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 37 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
37 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Bioethics at the intersection of politics, society, and healthcare: the significance of media debate analyses.BMC medical ethics · 2025Pooled it
- Efficacy and pitfalls of digital technologies in healthcare services: A systematic review of two decades.Frontiers in public health · 2022Pooled it
- Characteristics and determinants of population acceptance of COVID-19 digital contact tracing: a systematic review.Acta bio-medica : Atenei Parmensis · 2021Pooled it
- Contact tracing strategies for infectious diseases: A systematic literature review.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- Innovative public strategies in response to COVID-19: A review of practices from China.Health care science · 2024Review
- Contextual Acceptance of COVID-19 Mitigation Mobile Apps in the United States: Mixed Methods Survey Study on Postpandemic Data Privacy.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
- Investigating Citizens' Acceptance of Contact Tracing Apps: Quantitative Study of the Role of Trust and Privacy.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2024Article
- Evaluating the Added Value of Digital Contact Tracing Support Tools for Citizens: Framework Development.JMIR research protocols · 2023Article
- Trust and Health Information Exchanges: Qualitative Analysis of the Intent to Share Personal Health Information.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Article
- The French General Population's Perception of New Information and Communication Technologies for Medical Consultations: National Survey.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Article
- Newspaper coverage on solidarity and personal responsibility in the COVID-19 pandemic: A content analysis from Germany and German-speaking Switzerland.SSM - population health · 2023Article
- The Impact of Individuals' Social Environments on Contact Tracing App Use: Survey Study.JMIR human factors · 2023Article
- ["Sending a signal of solidarity via bluetooth?"-A medical ethical analysis of the public debate on the Corona-Warn-App].Ethik in der Medizin : Organ der Akademie fur Ethik in der Medizin · 2023Article
- Using a Proximity-Detection Technology to Nudge for Physical Distancing in a Swedish Workplace During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Retrospective Case Study.JMIR formative research · 2022Article
- 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
- Democratic research: Setting up a research commons for a qualitative, comparative, longitudinal interview study during the COVID-19 pandemic.SSM. Qualitative research in health · 2022Article
- Acceptability of the COVID-19 contact-tracing app - Does culture matter?Government information quarterly · 2022Article
- Comfort with and willingness to participate in COVID-19 contact tracing: The role of risk perceptions, trust, and political ideology.Social science & medicine (1982) · 2022Article
- Practices and Attitudes of Bavarian Stakeholders Regarding the Secondary Use of Health Data for Research Purposes During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Qualitative Interview Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Article
- Evaluation of the Patient Experience with the Mawid App during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Al Hassa, Saudi Arabia.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe main German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) have implemented digital contact tracing apps to assist the authorities with COVID-19 containment strategies. Low user rates for these apps can affect contact tracing and, thus, its usefulness in controlling the spread of the novel coronavirus.
objectiveThis study aimed to assess the early perceptions of people living in the German-speaking countries and compare them with the frames portrayed in the newspapers during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
methodsWe conducted qualitative interviews with 159 participants of the SolPan project. Of those, 110 participants discussed contact tracing apps and were included in this study. We analyzed articles regarding contact tracing apps from 12 newspapers in the German-speaking countries.
resultsStudy participants perceived and newspaper coverage in all German-speaking countries framed contact tracing apps as governmental surveillance tools and embedded them in a broader context of technological surveillance. Participants identified trust in authorities, respect of individual privacy, voluntariness, and temporary use of contact tracing apps as prerequisites for democratic compatibility. Newspapers commonly referenced the use of such apps in Asian countries, emphasizing the differences in privacy regulation among these countries.
conclusionsThe uptake of digital contact tracing apps in German-speaking countries may be undermined due to privacy risks that are not compensated by potential benefits and are rooted in a deeper skepticism towards digital tools. When authorities plan to implement new digital tools and practices in the future, they should be very transparent and proactive in communicating their objectives and the role of the technology-and how it differs from other, possibly similar, tools. It is also important to publicly address ethical, legal, and social issues related to such technologies prior to their launch.
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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.