Ghimire Jiwnath, Nepal Ratna Mani, Crowley Julia, Ghimire Dipesh, Guragain Shyam
Department of Community and Regional Planning, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA.
Center for Nepal and Asian Studies, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Soc Sci Humanit Open. 2023;7(1):100486. doi: 10.1016/j.ssaho.2023.100486. Epub 2023 Mar 27.
Social, economic, and demographic characteristics influence public disaster risk perception, including the risk of COVID-19. Migrant workers are one the most vulnerable groups to disasters. More than four million Nepali migrant workers are employed abroad, and millions are working in cities and towns in the country. This study analyzes how the social, economic, and demographic conditions of returning Nepali migrant workers determine their risk perceptions of COVID-19. An online national survey was administered from May 10 to July 30, 2020, targeting returning Nepali migrant workers nationwide. A total of 782 responses from migrant workers were recorded, covering 67 of 74 districts. Using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression models, the results show that migrant workers in blue-collar jobs, female, older than 29 years, with pre-existing health conditions, from low-income families, and from larger families are more likely to perceive higher risks of COVID-19. The migrant workers who believe in non-pharmaceutical COVID-19 control measures, including awareness campaigns and stay-at-home orders, have higher risk perceptions of the virus than other groups. The research contributes to identifying the program and policy priority areas to address the needs and COVID-19 vulnerabilities of returning Nepali migrant workers during and after the pandemic.
社会、经济和人口特征会影响公众对灾害风险的认知，包括对新冠疫情风险的认知。农民工是最易受灾害影响的群体之一。超过四百万尼泊尔农民工在国外就业，还有数百万在该国的城镇工作。本研究分析了返乡尼泊尔农民工的社会、经济和人口状况如何决定他们对新冠疫情的风险认知。2020年5月10日至7月30日，针对全国返乡尼泊尔农民工开展了一项在线全国性调查。共记录了782名农民工的回复，覆盖了74个区中的67个。通过描述性统计和二元逻辑回归模型，结果显示从事蓝领工作、女性、年龄超过29岁、有既往健康状况、来自低收入家庭以及来自大家庭的农民工更有可能认为新冠疫情风险更高。相信包括宣传活动和居家令在内的非药物新冠疫情防控措施的农民工，对该病毒的风险认知高于其他群体。该研究有助于确定方案和政策优先领域，以满足疫情期间及之后返乡尼泊尔农民工的需求并应对他们在新冠疫情方面的脆弱性。
