Study title

The outbreak of an epidemic is often accompanied by various measures, such as economic, social, and self-protective. In the case of the COVID–19 outbreak in Slovenia, the Slovenian Government formally adopted several (self)protective measures. These were enforced by various authorities, which used repressive and restrictive means to curb the spread of infections. In addition to formal control, other forms of monitoring were also present, namely related to mass and social media. Thus, during the COVID–19 pandemic, the intertwining of formal and informal social control could be observed. In this exploratory study based on the general deterrence theory and protection-motivation theory, authors investigated which external and internal factors are associated with self-protective behavior in such circumstances. The survey was conducted on an availability sample, with an invitation to participate in the survey posted in a few closed and public Slovenian groups on social network Facebook, meaning that the survey was answered by people who are members of the group, or they follow the group or have visited the group accidentally. The survey questionnaire was developed in English. A Slovenian translation of the survey questionnaire is available. The data file is available in Slovenian and EnglishThe outbreak of an epidemic is often accompanied by various measures, such as economic, social, and self-protective. In the case of the COVID–19 outbreak in Slovenia, the Slovenian Government formally adopted several (self)protective measures. These were enforced by various authorities, which used repressive and restrictive means to curb the spread of infections. In addition to formal control, other forms of monitoring were also present, namely related to mass and social media. Thus, during the COVID–19 pandemic, the intertwining of formal and informal social control could be observed. In this exploratory study based on the general deterrence theory and protection-motivation theory,...