Critical pandemic information on state government websites was too complex to understand

Critical pandemic information on state government websites was so complex it may have led to people not complying with restrictions.

Health and education officials may have undermined the state’s fight against Covid by making vital information too difficult for many Victorians to understand, a new analysis suggests.

A review of critical pandemic information on official Victorian government websites found the text used was too complex to be accessible for large sections of the community.

Rather than providing clarity when most needed, the in-depth La Trobe University study found complicated Department of Health and Department of Education and Training Covid information may have increased anxiety, led to noncompliance with restrictions and impacted vaccination programs.

After analysing Covid messaging from 367 departmental web pages in 2020 Associate Professor Tanya Serry said the official sites produced unintentional risks to the health and wellbeing of the community.

“We all know how much we needed clear health information around Covid,” A/Prof Serry said.

“If people are not receiving basic messaging or clarity of messaging about things like vaccinations, when and where masks are needed, about when their children can and can’t go to school or preschool, it puts the community at great risk.

Hard to understand instructions may have led people to noncompliance with restrictions. Picture: David Crosling

“The lack of access to clear information is not just about people from different linguistic backgrounds, it relates to too many people in our community who unfortunately slipped through the system and just don’t have sufficient literacy.

“I think it adds to a mistrust of authorities.”

While federal government guidelines recommend health promotion materials be written Year 7 student level, results of the La Trobe study published in the Health Promotion Journal of Australia found the official Victorian information was set at a senior high school level.

After calculating the length of words and sentences used to outline the risks of Covid or explain public health restrictions, the researchers found the officials used too many big words and overly complex lengthy sentences.

The departmental messages were also subjected to two readability tests – the SMOG Index and Flesch Reading Ease formula – which rated the texts as being at a Year 10 or higher level, and inaccessible to significant sections of the population.

With Australian Bureau of Statistics data indicting more than 40 per cent of the population has literacy levels below the level of secondary school completion, A/Prof Serry said improving the readability of key government websites was a low cost and effective way to increase understanding of the pandemic and protect the community.

“Ideally levels should be at a year 6-7 level, but they were set at a Year 10+ level, which means its just pitched too high for many people,” A/Prof Serry said.

“When we’re in a health crisis we don’t have the luxury of having another five minutes – it’s got to be accessible in short grabs.”

The La Trobe research did not evaluate messaging from other Australian jurisdictions, but did replicate findings of a study that raised similar issues with Covid information on Polish web pages.