‘We were not allowed to gather even for Christmas.’ Impact of COVID-19 on South African young people: Exploring messaging and support

ABSTRACT

COVID-19 prevention measures including lockdowns, school closures, and restricted movement disrupted young people’s lives. This longitudinal qualitative study conducted in Soweto, South Africa aimed to explore young people’s knowledge and perceptions of COVID-19, vaccination, and the impact of infections. A convenience sample of 30 young black people (n = 15 men; n = 15 women, aged 16–21 years) from Soweto participated in 24 focus group discussions (FGDs), conducted in six phases – each phase had four FGDs stratified by gender and age. Young people’s understanding of COVID-19 deepened throughout the study, however, did not always translate into adherence (following the government’s COVID-19 prevention measures). Although deemed inadequate, TV and radio were preferred over internet COVID-19 information. Parents, teachers, and schools were trusted sources of information. Vaccines and limited access to information attributed to low-risk perception, while new COVID-19 variants attributed to high-risk perception. A low-risk perception and conspiracy theories contributed to non-adherence (disregarding COVID-19 preventative measures provided by the government), particularly among young men. Accessing reliable information that considers young people’s lives and their living context is important. Communities, scientists, and policymakers must learn from the COVID-19 experience and implement localised preventive strategies for education, awareness, and economic support in future emergencies.

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19
• vaccines
• messaging
• young people
• South Africa

Acknowledgements

We are greatly indebted to the participants who took part in this study and Molebogeng Motlhatlhedi who assisted with data collection.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Availability of data and material

Data will be made available upon written request to the corresponding author detailing the intended use of data.

Author contribution

GM collected the data, conceptualised the study, analysed data, and drafted the manuscript; ENB conceptualised the study, analysed data, and drafted the manuscript; SAN conceptualised the study and commented on the manuscript; PHJ commented on the manuscript; and MB commented on the manuscript.

Conflicts of interest

Authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the SA Medical Research Council and the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Human Development at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.