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. 2022 Mar 9;12(1):3824.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-04703-9.

Predictors of adherence to public health behaviors for fighting COVID-19 derived from longitudinal data

Birga M Schumpe #  1 , Caspar J Van Lissa #  2 , Jocelyn J Bélanger  3 , Kai Ruggeri  4 , Jochen Mierau  5 , Claudia F Nisa  3 , Erica Molinario  6 , Michele J Gelfand  7 , Wolfgang Stroebe  5 , Maximilian Agostini  5 , Ben Gützkow  5 , Bertus F Jeronimus  5 , Jannis Kreienkamp  5 , Maja Kutlaca  8 , Edward P Lemay Jr  9 , Anne Margit Reitsema  5 , Michelle R vanDellen  10 , Georgios Abakoumkin  11 , Jamilah Hanum Abdul Khaiyom  12 , Vjollca Ahmedi  13 , Handan Akkas  14 , Carlos A Almenara  15 , Mohsin Atta  16 , Sabahat Cigdem Bagci  17 , Sima Basel  3 , Edona Berisha Kida  13 , Allan B I Bernardo  18 , Nicholas R Buttrick  19 , Phatthanakit Chobthamkit  20 , Hoon-Seok Choi  21 , Mioara Cristea  22 , Sara Csaba  23 , Kaja Damnjanović  24 , Ivan Danyliuk  25 , Arobindu Dash  26 , Daniela Di Santo  27 , Karen M Douglas  28 , Violeta Enea  29 , Daiane Faller  30 , Gavan J Fitzsimons  31 , Alexandra Gheorghiu  29 , Ángel Gómez  32 , Ali Hamaidia  33 , Qing Han  34 , Mai Helmy  35 , Joevarian Hudiyana  36 , Ding-Yu Jiang  37 , Veljko Jovanović  38 , Zeljka Kamenov  39 , Anna Kende  23 , Shian-Ling Keng  40 , Tra Thi Thanh Kieu  41 , Yasin Koc  5 , Kamila Kovyazina  42 , Inna Kozytska  25 , Joshua Krause  43 , Arie W Kruglanski  9 , Anton Kurapov  25 , Nóra Anna Lantos  23 , Cokorda Bagus J Lesmana  44 , Winnifred R Louis  45 , Adrian Lueders  46 , Najma Iqbal Malik  16 , Anton P Martinez  47 , Kira O McCabe  48 , Jasmina Mehulić  39 , Mirra Noor Milla  36 , Idris Mohammed  49 , Manuel Moyano  50 , Hayat Muhammad  51 , Silvana Mula  27 , Hamdi Muluk  36 , Solomiia Myroniuk  5 , Reza Najafi  52 , Boglárka Nyúl  23 , Paul A O'Keefe  53 , Jose Javier Olivas Osuna  54 , Evgeny N Osin  55 , Joonha Park  56 , Gennaro Pica  57 , Antonio Pierro  27 , Jonas H Rees  58 , Elena Resta  27 , Marika Rullo  59 , Michelle K Ryan  60 , Adil Samekin  61 , Pekka Santtila  62 , Edyta Sasin  3 , Heyla A Selim  63 , Michael Vicente Stanton  64 , Samiah Sultana  5 , Robbie M Sutton  28 , Eleftheria Tseliou  11 , Akira Utsugi  65 , Jolien A van Breen  66 , Kees Van Veen  5 , Alexandra Vázquez  32 , Robin Wollast  67 , Victoria Wai-Lan Yeung  68 , Somayeh Zand  69 , Iris Lav Žeželj  24 , Bang Zheng  70 , Andreas Zick  71 , Claudia Zúñiga  72 , N Pontus Leander  73
Affiliations

Predictors of adherence to public health behaviors for fighting COVID-19 derived from longitudinal data

Birga M Schumpe et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

The present paper examines longitudinally how subjective perceptions about COVID-19, one's community, and the government predict adherence to public health measures to reduce the spread of the virus. Using an international survey (N = 3040), we test how infection risk perception, trust in the governmental response and communications about COVID-19, conspiracy beliefs, social norms on distancing, tightness of culture, and community punishment predict various containment-related attitudes and behavior. Autoregressive analyses indicate that, at the personal level, personal hygiene behavior was predicted by personal infection risk perception. At social level, social distancing behaviors such as abstaining from face-to-face contact were predicted by perceived social norms. Support for behavioral mandates was predicted by confidence in the government and cultural tightness, whereas support for anti-lockdown protests was predicted by (lower) perceived clarity of communication about the virus. Results are discussed in light of policy implications and creating effective interventions.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

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