Determinant Factors in Personal Decision-Making to Adopt COVID-19 Prevention Measures in Chile

Karina Fernanda Gonzalez, Maria Teresa Bull, Sebastian Muñoz-Herrera and Luis Felipe Robledo
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Karina Fernanda Gonzalez: Department of Industrial Engineering, Universidad Catolica de la Santisima Concepción, Concepcion 4090541, Chile
Maria Teresa Bull: Department of Industrial Engineering, Universidad Catolica de la Santisima Concepción, Concepcion 4090541, Chile
Sebastian Muñoz-Herrera: Department of Industrial Engineering, Universidad Catolica de la Santisima Concepción, Concepcion 4090541, Chile
Luis Felipe Robledo: Observatory of Disaster Management (OGD), Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Concepción 4090541, Chile

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 15, 1-18

Abstract: The pandemic has challenged countries to develop stringent measures to reduce infections and keep the population healthy. However, the greatest challenge is understanding the process of adopting self-care measures by individuals in different countries. In this research, we sought to understand the behavior of individuals who take self-protective action. We selected the risk homeostasis approach to identify relevant variables associated with the risk of contagion and the Protective Action Decision Model to understand protective decision-making in the pandemic. Subsequently, we conducted an exploratory survey to identify whether the same factors, as indicated in the literature, impact Chile’s adoption of prevention measures. The variables gender, age, and trust in authority behave similarly to those found in the literature. However, socioeconomic level, education, and media do not impact the protection behaviors adopted to avoid contagion. Furthermore, the application of the Protective Action Decision Model is adequate to understand the protective measures in the case of a pandemic. Finally, women have a higher risk perception and adopt more protective measures, and in contrast, young people between 18 and 30 years of age are the least concerned about COVID-19 infection.

Keywords: COVID-19; risk homeostasis; risk perception; Protective Action Decision Model; prevention measures adoption; exploratory study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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