Cultural worldviews and support for governmental management of COVID-19

Abstract

This article addresses public attitudes towards government measures to contain preventable diseases in China in light of personal privacy and social safety controversies. Using a nationwide Internet survey of 776 Chinese adults and an online worldview database, we seek to explain the reason for causing differing public opinions on prevention policies and related governance issues. As Cultural Theory suggests, cultural biases impact public attitudes toward social policies. However, to our knowledge, culture theory has rarely been used to explain public differences in policies in China. So, study 1 conducted an exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and found that the four-factor model of cultural worldviews: egalitarianism, hierarchy, individualism, and fatalism is still a feasible assessment tool for worldviews. Then, in studies 2–4, we explored how cultural worldviews influence Chinese public policy support. Study 2 involved an online worldview database and found that by trusting the government, hierarchists trust the policies proposed by the government. Study 3 and Study 4, based on the revised cultural scale in Study 1 and surveys during the epidemic period, found that compared to hierarchists and egalitarians, fatalists and individualists were less likely to support COVID-19 responses. In study 3, we further found that along with the risk perception levels growing, fatalists’ resistance towards epidemic prevention policies will disappear under high-risk perception conditions. Study 4 also found that hierarchists and egalitarians with higher trust in government tend to support COVID-19 responses. Hierarchists will be more supportive of the government with the increased public’s perceived threats. In conclusion, cultural worldviews have different impacts on policy support, and the relationship between cultural worldviews and policy support is influenced by public attitudes toward authorities and the perceived threats they face. Lastly, risk management and communication implications are discussed, such as establishing trust between individuals and authorities.