Level of Public Acceptance of Covid-19 Information in Batu Bara Regency of North Sumatra

Abstract

he Covid-19 pandemic has had a far-reaching impact on people's lives, causing stagnation, recession or depression in the economic, education and other sectors. Public trust must be built and maintained so that there is no panic in the midst of a pandemic situation. In addition, communication must also run simultaneously using a mix of face-to-face communication, group communication, mass communication and digital communication. The goal is that public communication can take place optimally in multicultural communities in Batu Bara Regency. This study used a quantitative descriptive method with a population of 410,678 people and a sample of 130 people taken by stratified random sampling. Data collection techniques through the dissemination of questionnaires and interviews. The results showed that the level of public trust was quite high in the Covid-19 information provided in villages, sub-districts and sub-districts. Communication through religious activities is considered the most effective in the delivery of Covid-19 information. The level of community satisfaction in handling Covid-19 is in the good category.  The use of banners, posters and social media such as Facebook is in great demand by the public so that it can be maximized as Covid-19 information. However, there are several things that need to be addressed, namely access to information on the Coal website about Covid-19 still needs to be increased in frequency, Radio and television are not effective media for the public about Covid-19 information.