COVID-19 and Health Inequality: Explaining Differences in Public Trust and Concern by Ethnicity and Protective Health Behaviors with Predictive Analytics

ABSTRACT By analysing survey data collected from 1,033 adults, this study examines health inequality related to COVID-19 protective health behaviours by ethnicity, trust, and concern in the U.S. There are three major findings. First, the U.S. adults can be categorized into four clusters based on their concern and public trust. Second, there are significant differences in concern and public trust among different ethnic groups. Finally, concern and public trust are the significant predictors for individuals’ protective health behaviours. When individuals have higher levels of concern and public trust, they are more likely to comply with the public health policies to adopt protective health measures. The results of this study highlight the importance of building public trust with co-cultural groups in order to promote protective health behaviours. Thus, this study brings additional insights into effective intercultural communication in the healthcare context.