Psychological perceptions and voluntary protective behaviors during COVID-19 pandemic in China: the roles of cultural worldview

Abstract

The public’s voluntary adoption of protective actions is key in risk management, especially when strict regulations no longer apply. This research uses a nationwide sample to understand how cultural worldview influences public adoption of four protective actions against the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) following the end of the first lockdown in China. Relying on Grid-Group Cultural Theory of risk and the Protective Action Decision Model, this research finds that cultural worldview rarely influences protective behaviors directly. However, mediational analyses reveal that cultural worldview can influence protective behaviors via protective action perception and trust in stakeholders but not via risk perception. This research finds that protective action perception and trust in stakeholders increase protective behaviors and the positive correlation between trust in stakeholders and protective behaviors is mediated by protective action perception. Moreover, hierarchy increases protective action perception and trust in stakeholders, individualism increases protective action perception but decreases trust in stakeholders, and fatalism decreases protective action perception. Other correlations of cultural worldview with protective action perception and trust in stakeholders vary with types of protective actions. These findings provide implications for behavioral governance and risk communication among diverse cultural groups.