Giving Meaning to the Pandemic: What Do Brazilians Think About the New Coronavirus?

In view of the pandemic scenario caused by the new coronavirus, it is crucial to produce knowledge to understand the disease and its impacts on people’s daily lives. In response to this demand, the present study aimed to identify the meanings attributed to the new coronavirus by Brazilians at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. We had access to a non-probabilistic sample of 2400 Brazilians, who answered a biodemographic questionnaire, using the technique of free word association, with the induced stimulus “coronavirus,” respectively interpreted through descriptive statistics using the SPSS software and textual analysis using IRaMuTeQ. The results were organized into three classes: (1) “characterization of the disease,” evoking responses about the treatment, risks, prevention strategies, and expectations of cure; (2) “negative repercussions,” reflecting harmful aspects of the disease on mental health, such as fear, uncertainty, and despair; and (3) “positive repercussions,” revealing initiatives of solidarity, empathy, and collective care as coping strategies. Differences in evocations also arose depending on the region of the country, employment status, adherence to social isolation measures, agreement with social isolation, agreement with the current president, experience of infection, and level of stress. It was concluded that identifying the meanings that Brazilians attribute to the new coronavirus is important for the formulation of effective intervention strategies. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43076-021-00078-y.