Abstract
The COVID-19 outbreak caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoronaVirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread across the world. However, our understanding of the public responses, in particular in adopting protective behaviors, has been limited. The current study aimed to determine the level of protective behaviors adopted by the residents in China and its association with their cultural attributes. A national cross-sectional online survey was conducted in mainland China from 4th to 13th August 2020. Protective behaviors were assessed as a summed score (ranging from 0 to 40) measured by ten items. The self-report tendency of study participants toward the four cultural attributes (individualism, egalitarianism, fatalism, hierarchy) was rated on a seven-point Likert scale. A total of 17651 respondents returned a valid questionnaire, representing 47.9% of those who accessed the online survey. Most (89.8%) respondents aged between 18 and 45 years in the age range of and 47.7% were male. High levels of protective behaviors (34.04 ± 5.78) were reported. The respondents had high scores in the cultural attributes of hierarchy (Median = 5) and egalitarianism (Median = 5), compared with low scores in individualism (Median = 1) and fatalism (Median = 1). High levels of protective behaviors were associated a higher tendency toward egalitarianism (AOR = 2.90, 95% CI 2.67–3.15) and hierarchy (AOR = 1.66, 95% CI 1.53–1.81) and a low tendency toward fatalism (AOR = 1.79, 95% CI 1.63–1.97) and individualism (AOR = 2.62, 95% CI 2.41–2.85). The cultural attributes explained 17.3% of the variations in the protective behavioral scores. In conclusion, the adoption of protective behaviors is associated a risk culture characterized by high levels of hierarchy and egalitarianism and low levels of individualism and fatalism. Government actions and communication strategies need to adapt to the cultural characteristics of their target audience.
Highlights
In December 2019, SARS-CoV-2, a new coronavirus strain, was reported to infect human beings, resulting in severe respiratory illness COVID-19
The respondents displayed a high level of knowledge about COVID-19, with a mean score of 17.86 (SD = 2.99)
Compared with the results of our study at the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak, there was a clear tendency of increased social gathering and use of public transport, possibly due to the relaxation of restrictive measures [6, 34]
Summary
In December 2019, SARS-CoV-2, a new coronavirus strain, was reported to infect human beings, resulting in severe respiratory illness COVID-19. Those who adhere to egalitarian values believe that everyone in their society is equal [21, 23] They tend to pursue the common interest of their groups [31], which may translate into a high level of compliance and adoption of COVID-19 protective behaviors. Local community organizations, neighborhoods and employers were mobilized to mount public pressures This approach aligns well with the collectivism cultural attributes [28], but forms a sharp contrast with the strategies adopted in the western countries where individual freedom is highly prioritized. The Group-Grid cultural framework has been widely applied in many areas of studies (e.g., human behaviors on environmental concerns, public goods, and politics) [12, 20], its use in the context of the global Covid-19 pandemic has been limited [36].
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