Structural violence, COVID-19 disbelief and misinformation: lived experiences of young adults from two marginalized low-income communities in Lagos, Nigeria

This paper contributes to the body of knowledge on the COVID-19 pandemic by examining perceptions and understandings of COVID-19 among a purposively enlisted set of young adults in the marginalized low-income communities of Ajegunle and Amukoko in Lagos State, Nigeria. Drawing on the theory of structural violence, this qualitative research underscores how participants’ pre-pandemic lived experiences shape their varying levels of disbelief and scepticism about the reality of the viral disease. The paper highlights how these lived experiences are replete with narratives of poor living standards and the prevailing socio-economic realities and challenges within their communities. The paper further demonstrates how these experiences have, over time, fostered mistrust of democratically elected leaders, shaping responses to the pandemic and contributing to disbelief, neglect, and the spread of misinformation, particularly when containment efforts were spearheaded by political leaders deemed untrustworthy.