Open AccessLessons learned about willingness to adopt various protective measures during the early COVID-19 pandemic in three countries
Author(s) -
Ana Paula De Santana,
Lars Korn,
Cornelia Betsch,
Robert Böhm
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0265892
Subject(s) - collectivism , pandemic , covid-19 , psychology , social psychology , individualism , personal protective equipment , environmental health , medicine , political science , disease , pathology , virology , outbreak , infectious disease (medical specialty) , law
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 24 th to May 1 st , 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.