The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the willingness, anxiety and concerns of Italian people on undergoing dental appointments. An anonymous survey was posted online on social media on 11 May 2020 and was completed by 1003 respondents in one week. Multiple correspondence analysis and multiple logistic regression were used to evaluate the association between socio-demographic characteristics, dental care access, contagion fear of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), trust in dentists regarding sanitization procedures and perception of the impact of the risk of contagion on dental care. Subjects with a high level of education, attending public dental offices and that are used to go to dental offices for urgent care would not feel comfortable in undergoing a dental appointment and would prefer to postpone or cancel dental visits, waiting for a decrease in the number of the contagions. Moreover, the risk of canceling or postponing the appointment at the dentist was 1.59 times greater in those who claimed to be strongly influenced by SARS-CoV-2. Fear of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), new cases decrease and the not urgent nature of dental visits influenced more than the lowered income household on upcoming or resuming dental appointments. In the next months, despite the forecasted economic crisis caused by coronavirus pandemic, fear and anxiety generated by the spread of the virus will impact more than the lowered familiar income with regards to access to dental care.

Health information-seeking behavior provides a variety of benefits, such as reducing knowledge gaps and educating individuals outside the medical office. This study aimed at evaluating if different sources used to gather information on COVID-19 could affect the willingness to undergo dental appointments. An anonymous survey was posted on social media. The 1003 respondents used several channels of communication, clearly distinguishing reliable from unreliable ones. Multiple logistic regression estimated the effect of different information channels on the probability of being strongly influenced by COVID-19 in accessing upcoming dental appointments. Newspapers were the most-used channel of information (61.2%), blogs and forums the least used (11.2%). Overall, the more an individual was informed, the higher was the risk of missing upcoming dental care appointments (OR 2.05, CI 1.45–2.90, p < 0.001). The two most reliable channels of communication were identified in journals/websites of medicine and healthcare professionals. Women proved to be more active in gathering information and relying on less secure but more personal channels, such as social media and friends and family, thus having an increased risk of being influenced by COVID-19 information regarding upcoming dental care appointments (OR 3.62, CI 0.85–15.52, p < 0.1 and OR 1.60, CI 1.00–2.58, p < 0.1, respectively). Social media should have a greater presence on the side of medical service providers to avoid distortions of information and fake news that ultimately cause fear among citizens and compromise their health. Healthcare professionals and institutions should adapt their communication channels based on the audience they want to address to optimize the education and information of the final users.

The theory of complexity is gaining popularity in economics, arising from the growing awareness that traditional economics models have several limitations rooted in fixed laws and axioms. Complexity theory offers a promising alternative: it defines the economy as a complex adaptative system, characterized by the interactions of multiple agents who adapt their behavior and learn from past experiences. These interactions give rise to emergent phenomena that cannot be predicted in any way from individual behaviors, highlighting the importance of studying and understanding the system as a whole. In contrast to equilibrium economics, which assumes static states of equilibrium, complexity economics embraces non-equilibrium dynamics as fundamental to economic processes. This perspective represents both an extension and a new departure point from traditional theories, suggesting that complexity is not a refinement, but a paradigm shift in economic thinking.

Offshore Wind Farms (OWFs) are rapidly expanding across Europe as a key element of the transition towards renewable energy sources. Yet, their implications for coastal tourism are still being debated. This study provides the first large-scale quantitative assessment of the impact of OWF operational starts on tourism performance from 2013 to 2023 across 66 European coastal NUTS-2 regions. Using a staggered difference-in-differences event-study design and combining Eurostat tourism statistics with the Global Wind Power Tracker, we estimate dynamic causal effects across tourism segments. Results show a significant improvement in coastal tourism performance following OWF operational starts, while inland tourism remains comparatively stable. This growth is driven primarily by foreign visitors. The effects become apparent from the second post-operational year and persist over time. Overall, the findings suggest that offshore wind energy development can generate positive economic outcomes on regional tourism and can also support a more sustainable destination development.