The Relationship Between Cultural Value Orientations and the Changes in Mobility During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A National-Level Analysis.

Selin Atalay,Gaye Solmazer

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.578190

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between cultural value orientations and country-specific changes in mobility during the Covid-19 pandemic. The aim was to understand how cultural values relate to mobility behavior during the initial stages of the pandemic. The aggregated data include Schwartz's cultural orientations, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, number of Covid-19 cases per million, and mobility change during the Covid-19 pandemic (Google Mobility Reports; percentage decrease in retail and recreation mobility, transit station mobility, workplace mobility and percentage mobility increase in residential areas). Regression analyses showed that, after controlling for economy and severity of disease, hierarchy was the primary factor reducing mobility, such as staying at home, and mobility in public spaces, such as avoiding retail and recreation sites (marginally significant). The results are discussed in the light of previous literature and the implications for social distancing measures.

Highlights

The disease Covid-19, is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCov-2) virus, the seventh virus from the Coronavirus family (Andersen et al, 2020)
The present study investigated the relationship between cultural orientations and mobility change which is seen as a behavioral response to social distancing measures during the Covid-19 pandemic
Mobility change was investigated under four categories

Summary

Introduction

The disease Covid-19, is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCov-2) virus, the seventh virus from the Coronavirus family (Andersen et al, 2020). On December 31, 2019, a pneumonia case with an unidentifiable cause was reported to the Wuhan office of the World Health Organization (WHO). The average incubation period for SARS-Cov-2 is 5.2 days, after which some infected individuals show symptoms (Rothan and Byrareddy, 2020) whereas others remain asymptomatic (Day, 2020; Nishiura et al, 2020). Because the latter are unaware of their status, they become sources of contagion unless measures are taken to limit their mobility. Asymptomatic virus transmission is referred to as the “Achilles’ heel of Covid-19 pandemic control” (Gandhi et al, 2020, p. 2,159)

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