Üsküdar Üniversitesi conducted a study titled "Turkey Coronaphobia and Pandemic-Related Emotion Study." An interesting connection has emerged between the results of this research and the Covid-19 regional map announced last night.
Turkey's risk map
"Eastern Anatolia was the region most afraid of Covid-19"
By the Üsküdar University Epidemiological Research Study Group, the reflections of the Coronavirus on social psychology were investigated in the research titled "Turkey Coronaphobia and Pandemic-Related Emotion Study," conducted in April 2020 with the participation of 6,318 people in 81 provinces.
The research results revealed that Covid-19 most affected Eastern Anatolia and the Aegean in terms of fear and anxiety. While the rate of those who said "I am very afraid of the Coronavirus" was 50% in Eastern Anatolia and 49% in the Aegean, the Mediterranean region followed with 47%. This rate was 43% in Marmara, Central Anatolia, and Southeastern Anatolia, and the Black Sea region was identified as the least fearful region with 41%.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan: "Fear sometimes protects, courage sometimes creates risk"
In a statement made after the Cabinet Meeting, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that the Ministry of Health had created Turkey's risk map by coloring 81 provinces according to their risk groups as blue, yellow, orange, and red.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, Founding Rector of Üsküdar University, stated in his assessment on TGRT Haber live broadcast that an interesting connection was observed between the research conducted by Üsküdar University in April 2020 and the announced risky regions.
Tarhan said; "There is an interesting connection between the regions on the map announced this evening and the results of our research conducted in April. The rate of fear of Covid-19 was higher in the Eastern and Southeastern regions. It was close to 50%. For example, it was lower in the Black Sea with 40%. Our Eastern and Southeastern regions are also the regions on today's map where the rate of those protecting themselves from Covid-19 is highest. This fear in these regions, therefore, turned out to be a healthy fear. Our Eastern and Southeastern regions acted more consciously. Fear sometimes protects, courage sometimes creates risk."