Individualism and the fight against COVID-19

Li Huang, Oliver Zhen Li, Baiqiang Wang () and Zilong Zhang
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Li Huang: City University of Hong Kong
Oliver Zhen Li: Shanghai Lixin University of Accounting and Finance
Baiqiang Wang: Central University of Finance and Economics
Zilong Zhang: City University of Hong Kong

Palgrave Communications, 2022, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-20

Abstract: Abstract What is the role of societal culture in the individualism-collectivism paradigm in pandemic containment? In the prolonged fight against COVID-19, government-initiated non-pharmaceutical interventions critically hinges on citizens’ adherence to these restrictive policies. Using an international setting, this research shows that countries scoring high on individualism generally have a more severe COVID-19 situation throughout the trajectory of the pandemic. This link between individualism and the severity of the virus situation is plausibly due to social non-cooperativeness in individualistic countries which reduces the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions aimed at mitigating the virus situation. Exploiting cultural disparity in the individualism-collectivism paradigm between former East and West German districts, this research further demonstrates that, after controlling for local characteristics that can affect the pandemic outcome, former East German districts have a less severe COVID-19 situation than former West German districts. Evidence collectively suggests that a greater reluctance among people in more individualistic cultures to heed virus-fighting policies impose a negative public health externality in a pandemic.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1057/s41599-022-01124-5

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