Has anyone done research on why Covid-19 didn't become a bigger warning shot for future pandemic prevention?

By Peter @ 2025-03-05T22:41 (+23)

Is this because it went on for so long? Because people don't connect it to future threats? Because it was polarized? Other reasons?

Is this topic worth doing survey research on?

It seems very important to understand for biorisk and perhaps other areas like AI safety, where people frequently refer to "warning shots" as events that could shift what's possible.

Davidmanheim @ 2025-03-06T02:44 (+5)

In my personal view, there was a tremendous failure to capitalize on the crisis by global health security organizations, which were focused on stopping spread, but waited until around mid 2021 to start looking past COVID. This was largely a capacity issue, but it was also a strategic failure, and by the time anyone was seriously looking at things like the pandemic treaty, the window had closed.

jacoboliver @ 2025-03-06T04:59 (+1)

Great question! It seems like a mix of factors—polarization, fatigue from the prolonged crisis, and a tendency to move on once immediate danger fades. Many also see it as a 'one-off' rather than a broader warning. Survey research could be valuable in understanding public perception and how it applies to future risks like biorisk and AI safety.