{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,28]],"date-time":"2025-10-28T15:21:34Z","timestamp":1761664894181,"version":"3.44.0"},"reference-count":37,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,29]],"date-time":"2025-08-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1756425600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Influenza remains a global public health threat, yet limited evidence exists regarding public risk perception and social support dynamics in post-pandemic contexts. This study investigates the interplay between social support and influenza risk perception among residents in Chengdu, China, following the ease of COVID-19 restrictions. A cross-sectional survey was conducted from January to March 2024 using convenience sampling (n\u2009=\u2009708). Validated tools included the Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS) and a researcher-developed Risk Perception Scale (RPS). Data were analyzed via Kruskal-Wallis tests and Spearman correlations using SAS 9.4 and SPSS 26.0. The results showed moderate median social support (37 points; 63.79% of maximum score) but alarmingly low risk perception (36 points; 40.0% of maximum score). Younger adults (&lt;25 years) and older adults (&gt;40 years) demonstrated significantly higher risk perception than middle-aged groups (<jats:italic><jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic><\/jats:italic>\u2009&lt;\u20090.01). Healthcare workers exhibited substantially lower risk perception than students (<jats:italic><jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic><\/jats:italic>\u2009&lt;\u20090.01). A weak but significant negative correlation emerged between social support and risk perception (r=\u22120.125, <jats:italic><jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic><\/jats:italic>\u2009&lt;\u20090.01), with the strongest negative correlation observed for risk familiarity perception (r=\u22120.171, <jats:italic><jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic><\/jats:italic>\u2009&lt;\u20090.01). Critically, Chengdu residents displayed inadequate risk awareness of influenza severity (score rate\u2009=\u200932%, very low) and familiarity (score rate\u2009=\u200936.7%, low), potentially undermining prevention efforts. Targeted health campaigns emphasizing risk communication (particularly for healthcare workers and middle-aged residents) and social resource mobilization are urgently needed to address these deficits.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0331052","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,29]],"date-time":"2025-08-29T17:43:16Z","timestamp":1756489396000},"page":"e0331052","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Social support and risk perception of influenza among Chengdu residents: A cross-sectional study during post-pandemic recovery"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"20","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9761-9261","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Cheng","family":"Yang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jiawei","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Qin","family":"Zeng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0104-8968","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Xianqiong","family":"Feng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,29]]},"reference":[{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0331052.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"15777","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-022-20076-z","article-title":"Municipal and neighbourhood level wastewater surveillance and 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