Abstract:
The present study researched the effects of different types of visualization
(stock and flow) and levels of topic relevance on people’s understanding of graphs and their
decision-making, with the aim of finding ways to optimize health communication graphs. An
online survey experiment was conducted with 162 inhabitants of the
Netherlands as participants. For each type of visualization, a graph with fictional data on the
number of COVID-19 infections was constructed. Topic
relevance was constructed by telling the participants the graph was about the
Netherlands (high relevance) or Zambia (low relevance). Objective understanding was measured and participants were asked to take a
COVID-19 related decision based on the graph. Only effects of visual representation on understanding and
decision-making were observed. The stock graph was
more understandable and participants who had seen the stock graph were more supportive of
stricter regulations. No effects for topic relevance were found in the present study.
