The readability of official public health information on COVID-19

The information needs of people with lower health literacy or from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds have received limited attention during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic. In one study, the complexity of most government‐produced COVID‐19 information in Australia and overseas exceeded the recommended grade 8 reading level, making it too difficult for general audiences, let alone people with lower health literacy.1 We therefore compared the complexity (readability, understandability, actionability) of Australian and overseas COVID‐19 vaccination information with that of other COVID‐19‐related information (physical distancing, mask wearing), including “easy read” resources developed in Australia and New Zealand.