Exciting news! The debut citizens’ note, offering a glimpse into attitudes and knowledge about antibiotics in Norway is now released. Authored by Silje Løseth and Anne Lise Fimreite, this report tackles a pressing global issue: antibiotic resistance.
Antibiotic resistance is on the rise worldwide, and this note dives into how Norwegians perceive and understand this challenge. Using data from the Norwegian citizen panel at the Digital Social Sciences core facility (DIGSSCORE), University of Bergen, the authors compare attitudes towards antibiotic resistance with other significant challenges and crises.
Key findings reveal that a large majority of citizens are well-informed about advice from Norwegian health authorities, especially regarding antibiotic use. Interestingly, when questions are asked in everyday language, many citizens express concern about antibiotic resistance.
Norwegian residents generally believe that national professional authorities, political bodies, and healthcare professionals bear the responsibility for regulating antibiotic use. The report also uncovers intriguing correlations, such as the connection between concerns about terrorism and climate change with worries about individual consequences of antibiotic resistance.
Moreover, trust in authorities’ handling of the COVID-19 pandemic aligns with heightened concerns about both individual and national consequences of antibiotic resistance.
These findings highlight the depth of knowledge among respondents about antibiotics and their genuine concerns, perspectives, and expectations. As we eagerly await further results of this research, you can read the full note (in Norwegian) here: Link