*1.3. Overview of the Present Study*

The present study examined the effects of both subjective and objective classes to test the above hypotheses to obtain more robust results. Data were obtained from a survey of non-student adults in China, and the hypothesized variable relationships and models were examined using a cross-sectional study design. Until 20 July 2021, the daily number of confirmed new COVID-19 cases in China had remained extremely low for many months. However, from late July to August, there were small outbreaks of COVID-19 in several Chinese provinces. According to official standards, several areas in China were classified as high risk or medium risk during this period. Within this context, we distributed questionnaires through an online platform to adults (excluding students) in various Chinese provinces in August 2021 to collect their self-reported scores on the above variables. We considered the official pandemic risk level (including high-risk, medium-risk, and low-risk areas) as the index of objective pandemic threat. Since residents in different regions of China faced different risk levels during this period, this Chinese sample was especially suitable for testing the present study's hypotheses.
