As an active coronavirus researcher, Cornelia Betsch has authored numerous publications on this topic and is a leading voice on COVID-19 in the media. In recognition of her outstanding commitment, she has been awarded the German Psychology Prize 2021. Due to the current pandemic situation in Germany, the festive award ceremony cannot take place in November 2021 as scheduled.
As a consequence of the rapidly rising incidence rate of the coronavirus pandemic in Germany, the German Association of Psychologists (BDP, Berufsverband Deutscher Psychologinnen und Psychologen), the Federal Chamber of Psychotherapists (BPtK, Bundespsychotherapeutenkammer), the German Psychological Society (DGPs, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Psychologie), and the Leibniz Institute for Psychology (ZPID, Leibniz-Institut für Psychologie), have made the decision to postpone the festive award ceremony originally scheduled for November 25, 2021, in Berlin. A new date for the ceremony is envisaged for spring 2022.
"We want to take full responsibility for all participants and also send a signal to the public to hold back on formal events and larger gatherings of people in view of the worsening pandemic situation," explains Prof. Dr. Michael Bosnjak, Director of the Leibniz Institute of Psychology, on behalf of the organizations presenting the award.
Information about the new date will be published on the homepages of the four participating institutions and on psychologie.de.
The award winner
Cornelia Betsch is a professor at the University of Erfurt. Her research includes health communication and social aspects of health decisions, especially in the context of vaccination and opposition to vaccination. She works together with the Federal Centre for Health Education, the Robert Koch Institute, and the World Health Organization.
From the outset of the coronavirus pandemic, Cornelia Betsch has repeatedly surveyed the general public about their knowledge of the virus as well as their perceptions of risk, protective behaviors, and trust in political decisions. The results of the "COVID-19 Snapshot Monitoring" - COSMO for short - continue to generate widespread public interest up to the present moment.
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