Over 70% of people across all socio-economic groups believed that someone who contracts Covid-19 has been careless or reckless in following public health advice, according to a survey carried out by the ESRI.
The research by the Economic and Social Research Institute found that fear of being blamed may be a barrier to arranging a test quickly when symptoms appear.
The survey of 1,000 adults, which was carried out in July, also found that many people believed that their close contacts would be likely to identify them as having tested positive, despite the anonymity of the contact tracing system.
Almost half of those surveyed did not know that calling their GP to discuss Covid-19 symptoms is free.
Over a third of people thought they could be charged for a test, which the study said could delay or deter people from arranging a test if they experience symptoms.
People in their 20s or 30s were less likely to know the GP consultation is free.
The survey also showed that almost 90% knew they could call their own GP if they thought they needed a test, but just 29.5% knew they could call any GP and 31.5% knew they could call an out-of-hours GP service.
Associate Research Professor with the ESRI Pete Lunn said there needs to be a return to clear Covid-19 messaging because "this virus doesn't care about politics".
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he said people must be encouraged to contact their GP if they have any symptoms of Covid-19, because we have learned to associate our own behaviour with the risk of infection and this might discourage those with mild symptoms from coming forward.
He said it is important that people understand that testing positive is "bad luck".
Prof Lunn said it is really important that people follow the guidelines and if they do there is a good chance of getting the numbers back down "reasonably rapidly".
Meanwhile, the number of patients in hospital with confirmed Covid-19 remains stable at 23, according to the latest figures from the Health Service Executive.
Overnight figures from the HSE show that four of these cases are in intensive care units.
In addition, hospitals have 133 suspected cases, with eight in intensive care.
The figures show the hospital situation as largely stable regarding virus cases.
Yesterday, the Department of Health was notified of 92 more cases of Covid-19 bringing the total number of cases in Ireland to 28,201.
No further deaths were reported meaning the death toll remains at 1,777.
Of the cases notified, 52 were men and 38 were women. 69% of these cases were people aged under 45.
The World Health Organization says data to date suggests 80% of Covid-19 infections are mild or asymptomatic, 15% are severe infection, requiring oxygen and 5% are critical, requiring ventilation.
Generally, you need to be 15 minutes or more in the vicinity of an infected person and within two metres of them, to be considered at-risk, or a close contact.
