Psycho-cognitive predictors of risk perception, social distancing and vaccination intention during COVID-19 outbreak: the case of Italy

The current dissertation was developed during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. The central theme of the present work focuses on the belief that, during this time of extreme difficulty for the world's population, COVID-19 pandemic can be brought under control mainly by massive and rapid behaviour change. One way to achieve this goal is to systematically monitor and understand how different individuals perceive risk and adhere to protective behaviours. The main aim of the present work is to understand whether there exist cognitive, social and psychological predictors of protective behaviours against COVID- 19. In particular, the dissertation takes into consideration three main topics: risk perception, social distancing and vaccine intention in the Italian population. It comprises a detailed letterature review on these topics and three experimental works addressing each aspect. The general suggestion of the present work is that behavioral insights concerning the pandemic are of most importance for governments and the world's population for developing strategies to deal with COVID-19 and other possible pandemics in the future.