PubliCo. A protocol for a new risk and crisis communication platform to bridge the gap between policy makers and the public in the context of the COVID-19 crisis.

BACKGROUND Since the end of 2019, COVID-19 has had a significant impact on citizens around the globe. As governments institute more restrictive measures, public adherence could decrease and discontent mount. Providing high-quality information and countering fake news is important. But we also need feedback loops so that government officials can refine preventive measures and communication strategies. Policy-makers need information - preferably based on real-time data - on the public's cognitive, emotional and behavioural reaction to public health messages and restrictive measures. PubliCo aims to foster effective and tailored risk and crisis communication as well as an assessment of the risks and benefits of prevention and control measures, as their effectiveness depends on public trust and cooperation. OBJECTIVE Our project aims to develop a tool that helps tackle the COVID-19 infodemic, with a focus on enabling a nuanced and in-depth understanding of public perception. The project adopts a trans-disciplinary multi-stakeholder approach, including participatory citizen science. METHODS We combine literature and media review and analysis and empirical research using mixed methods, including an online survey and diary-based research, both of which are ongoing and continuously updated. Building on real-time data and continuous data collection, our research results will be highly adaptable to the evolving situation. RESULTS As of September 2021, two thirds of the tool we propose are up and running. Current development cycles focus on the analytics component, on user experience, and on interface refinements. We collected a total of 473 responses through PubliCo Survey, and 22 diaries through PubliCo Diaries. CONCLUSIONS Pilot data show that PubliCo is a promising and efficient concept for bidirectional risk and crisis communication in the context of public health crises; further data are needed to assess its function at a larger scale or in the context of an issue other than COVID-19. CLINICALTRIAL