Skewed perception of personal behaviour as a contributor to antibiotic resistance and underestimation of the risks

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria poses a significant threat to global human health. Countering this threat requires the public to understand the causes of, and risks posed by, antibiotic resistance (AR) to support changing healthcare and societal approaches to antibiotic use. To gauge public knowledge, we designed a questionnaire to assess awareness of causes of AR (both personal and societal) and knowledge of absolute and relative risks posed by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Our findings reveal that while >90% respondents recognized personal behaviours as limiting AR, few individuals recognized the importance of societal factors e.g. the use of antibiotics in livestock. Furthermore, more respondents named viruses (either by name or as a group) than bacteria as reasons to take antibiotics, indicating lack of understanding. The absolute numbers of current and predicted future deaths attributed to antibiotic-resistant bacteria were under-estimated and respondents were more concerned about climate change and cancer than AR across all age groups and educational backgrounds. Our data reveal that despite heightened public awareness of infection-control measures following the COVID-19 pandemic, there remains a knowledge gap related to contributors and impacts of increasing numbers of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.