Predicting Public Uptake of Digital Contact Tracing During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results From a Nationwide Survey in Singapore

Young Ern Saw, Edina Yi-Qin Tan, Jessica Shijia Liu, Jean Cj Liu, Young Ern Saw, Edina Yi-Qin Tan, Jessica Shijia Liu, Jean Cj Liu

Abstract

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, new digital solutions have been developed for infection control. In particular, contact tracing mobile apps provide a means for governments to manage both health and economic concerns. However, public reception of these apps is paramount to their success, and global uptake rates have been low.

Objective: In this study, we sought to identify the characteristics of individuals or factors potentially associated with voluntary downloads of a contact tracing mobile app in Singapore.

Methods: A cohort of 505 adults from the general community completed an online survey. As the primary outcome measure, participants were asked to indicate whether they had downloaded the contact tracing app TraceTogether introduced at the national level. The following were assessed as predictor variables: (1) participant demographics, (2) behavioral modifications on account of the pandemic, and (3) pandemic severity (the number of cases and lockdown status).

Results: Within our data set, the strongest predictor of the uptake of TraceTogether was the extent to which individuals had already adjusted their lifestyles because of the pandemic (z=13.56; P<.001). Network analyses revealed that uptake was most related to the following: using hand sanitizers, avoiding public transport, and preferring outdoor over indoor venues during the pandemic. However, demographic and situational characteristics were not significantly associated with app downloads.

Conclusions: Efforts to introduce contact tracing apps could capitalize on pandemic-related behavioral adjustments among individuals. Given that a large number of individuals is required to download contact tracing apps for contact tracing to be effective, further studies are required to understand how citizens respond to contact tracing apps.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04468581, https://ichgcp.net/clinical-trials-registry/NCT04468581.

Keywords: COVID-19; contact tracing; digital health; epidemiology; mobile app.

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: None declared.

©Young Ern Saw, Edina Yi-Qin Tan, Jessica Shijia Liu, Jean CJ Liu. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 03.02.2021.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Self-reported behavioral modifications , other than downloading TraceTogether, among the study participants undertaken in response to the COVID-19 outbreak in Singapore. Error bars=95% CI. Numbers in brackets represent the total number of respondents who reported the behavioral change.
Figure 2
Figure 2
A model depicting how TraceTogether usage relates to other pandemic-related behavioral changes. Line thickness represents the strength of an association.

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