Understanding the perceptions of UK COVID-19 contact tracing app in the BAME community in Leicester

dc.cclicenceCC-BYen
dc.contributor.authorAkintoye, Simisola
dc.contributor.authorOgoh, George
dc.contributor.authorKrokida, Zoi
dc.contributor.authorNnadi, Juliana
dc.contributor.authorEke, Damian
dc.date.acceptance2021-07-26
dc.date.accessioned2022-01-04T13:51:55Z
dc.date.available2022-01-04T13:51:55Z
dc.date.issued2021-12-13
dc.descriptionThis work was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Human Brain Project Framework Programme for Research and Innovation under the Specific Grant Agreement No. 945539 (HBP SGA3). This work was also supported by De Montfort University COVID-19 Special Research Fund. Open access articleen
dc.description.abstractPurpose – Digital contact tracing technologies are critical to the fight against COVID-19 in many countries including the UK. However, a number of ethical, legal and socio-economic concerns that can affect uptake of the app have been raised. The purpose of this research is to explore the perceptions of the UK digital contact tracing app in the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community in Leicester and how this can affect its deployment and implementation. Design/methodology/approach – Data was collected through virtual focus groups in Leicester, UK. A total of 28 participants were recruited for the study. All participants are members of the BAME community, and data was thematically analysed with NVivo 11. Findings – A majority of the participants were unwilling to download and use the app owing to legal and ethical concerns. A minority were willing to use the app based on the need to protect public health. There was a general understanding that lack of uptake will negatively affect the fight against COVID-19 in BAME communities and an acknowledgement of the need for the government to rebuild trust through transparency and development of regulatory safeguards to enhance privacy and prevent misuse. Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the research makes original contributions being the first robust study conducted to explore perceptions of marginalised communities, particularly BAME which may be adversely impacted by the deployment of the app. By exploring community-based perceptions, this study further contributes to the emerging citizens’ perceptions on digital contact tracing which is crucial to the effectiveness and the development of an efficient, community-specific response to public attitudes towards the app. The findings can also help the development of responsible innovation approaches that balances the competing interests of digital health interventions with the needs and expectations of the BAME community in the UK.en
dc.funderEuropean Union (EU) Horizon 2020en
dc.identifier.citationAkintoye, S., Ogoh, G., Krokida, Z., Nnadi, J. and Eke, D. (2021) Understanding the perceptions of UK COVID-19 contact tracing app in the BAME community in Leicester. Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, 19 (4), pp. 521-536en
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1108/JICES-06-2021-0071
dc.identifier.issn1477-996X
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/2086/21575
dc.language.isoenen
dc.peerreviewedYesen
dc.publisherEmeralden
dc.researchinstituteCentre for Law, Justice and Societyen
dc.subjectPrivacyen
dc.subjectPublic healthen
dc.subjectCOVID-19en
dc.subjectData protectionen
dc.subjectContact tracingen
dc.subjectBAME in the UKen
dc.titleUnderstanding the perceptions of UK COVID-19 contact tracing app in the BAME community in Leicesteren
dc.typeArticleen

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