Social representations of H1N1 Influenza A (swine flu)

Abstract

The aim of the study is to understand how individual concepts, ideas, values and beliefs related to Influenza A, H1N1 (swine flu) were formed, shared, perceived and transmitted in a collectivist society such as Turkey in a short enough time that their effects were believed to be considerably and frighteningly widespread. Using questions developed from a social representations perspective, 140 people were interviewed in November 2009. The findings revealed that there exists a consensus about the threat posed by the pandemic Influenza A. That is, most participants made it clear that their way of living has shifted radically since the pandemic broke out. However, they did not have any desire to be vaccinated, mainly because of the politically powerful prime minister's attitude against it. Religious beliefs did not have a particular effect on the behaviour of participants towards this disease, even though it is named after a notorious animal for the Islamic people. Participants were observed to have contrasting attitudes towards H1N1 Influenza A. While they did not perceive it as a particularly widespread disease, they believed it to be a fatal disease that could deeply affect their health. The collectivist cultural factors caused a so-called unrealistically pessimistic faith to supersede an unrealistically optimistic faith. Therefore, while the physical reality about health was structured at the socialindividual level, the transformation (social representations) of the disease served to sustain and defend the main cultural characteristics of Turkish society as a whole.