This study aims to analyse the role of the preventive behaviour of people in reaction to the perception of risk in the control of the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: A multiple correspondence analysis was carried out from the data collected in the survey PSY- Covid 2019, using a sample made up of 914 Colombian residents, aged between 16 and 79 years (x̄ = 32.3, SD =12.4, women = 76.4%), with a university education level (96.6 %), from urban areas (92.5 %) and and a middle-income level (63.8 %). Results: The data were grouped into seven variables: vulnerability to coronavirus, mental health, subjective social norm, barriers to/facilitators of preventive behaviours, self-efficacy, expectation of results, and intention of post-confinement preventive behaviours. The findings show that the variables that contribute the most to the first dimension and that allow the explanation of preventive behaviour are: expectation of results, intention of post-confinement preventive behaviours and self-efficacy. Regarding the subjective social norm variable, although it is that which contributes the most to the second dimension, it is not associated with the variables mentioned above. It is recommended that studies be carried out in populations with different educational levels and cultural features.