Lessons learned about willingness to adopt various protective measures during the early COVID-19 pandemic in three countries

Abstract

Background Regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, concerted efforts have been invested in research to investigate and communicate the importance of complying with protective behaviors, such as handwashing and mask wearing. Protective measures vary in how effective they are in protecting the individual against infection, how much experience people have with them, whether they provide individual or societal protection, and how they are perceived on these dimensions. Methods This study assessed the willingness to follow recommended measures, depending on these features, among participants from Germany (n = 333), Hong Kong (n = 367), and the U.S. (n = 495). From April 24th to May 1st, 2020, individuals completed an online survey that assessed the antecedents of interest. Results It was shown that assumed effectiveness, previous experience, and intended self- and other-protection positively predicted willingness to comply across countries. When measures were mainly perceived as protecting others (vs. the self), individuals were less prone to adopt them. When a measure’s effectiveness to protect the individual was perceived as lower, willingness to adopt the measure increased with higher levels of prior experience and collectivism. Moreover, protecting others was more strongly related to adoption when individuals had higher levels of collectivism and lower levels of individualism. Conclusions Emphasizing the benefit for others could be a means to lower the potential detrimental effects of low assumed effectiveness for individual protection.

Evaluating expectations from social and behavioral science about COVID-19 and lessons for the next pandemic

“…The first and second aims are more broadly relevant across scientific research. The latter point is especially critical given substantial concerns raised about public trust in science directly related to COVID-19 [43][44][45][46][47][48] . The third point is also used as a framing for assessing policy recommendations.…”

COVID-19 risk perception and public compliance with preventive measures: Evidence from a multi-wave household survey in the MENA region

“…This finding supports those of Lio et al [ 32 ] and Binte et al [ 33 ], who revealed that individuals with a positive COVID-19 history were less likely to adhere to mitigation measures compared with uninfected individuals who have no prior history of infection. This tends to imply that individuals who were infected and then recovered perceived the disease as posing less risk, which subsequently reduced their protective behaviour [ 34 ]. Another explanation is that individuals who were infected may have had lower levels of compliance because of the sense of security that recovery from infection may provide [ 35 ].…”