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Yoon H, Jang Y, Lapinski MK, Turner MM, Peng TQ, Lee S. The Role of Collective Group Orientation and Social Norms on Physical Distancing Behaviors for Disease Prevention. HEALTH COMMUNICATION 2024:1-14. [PMID: 38225888 DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2024.2303826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
To reduce the impact of communicable diseases like COVID-19, collective action is required and likely to be susceptible to normative influence as well as whether people are more or less collectively oriented. We extend the theory of normative social behavior (TNSB) to account for group orientation and predict the relationships between social norms and physical distancing behaviors. Using a rolling cross-sectional design during 17 weeks of the pandemic, a national sample of US residents from 20 states (N = 8,778) participated in the study. The findings show that perceived descriptive norms, injunctive norms, and group orientation are significantly associated with physical distancing. The descriptive norm-behavior relationship and injunctive norm-behavior relationship are moderated by group orientation and the other predicted moderators in the TNSB. The findings extend the TNSB and highlight the need to understand social norms and group orientation in formative research for health communication campaigns designed to promote prevention behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyungro Yoon
- Department of Communication, Michigan State University
| | - Youjin Jang
- Lineberger Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | | | | | - Tai-Quan Peng
- Department of Communication, Michigan State University
| | - Sanguk Lee
- Department of Communication Studies, Texas Christian University
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2
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Women’s Risk-Taking Behaviour during COVID-19 Pandemic: Will Work–Family Enrichment and Work Satisfaction Prevent Turnover Intention? ADMINISTRATIVE SCIENCES 2023. [DOI: 10.3390/admsci13030067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all employment conditions as working during the pandemic is a risk to employees’ health. This study investigates women’s intentions to leave their job during times of crisis. However, opportunities for job selection were quite limited, and there are better ways to deal with job insecurity than leaving an organisation. The questionnaires were tested on valid data from 593 female employees of four-star hotels, and structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed. Cultural characteristics and the macroenvironment in Indonesian society cause different practices for women to achieve work–family enrichment, job satisfaction, and turnover intention than in developed Western cultures. Female employees will not be inclined to leave their job even though they are not satisfied. Moreover, work–family enrichment has an essential role in enhancing work satisfaction because it can improve women’s quality of life. Work–family enrichment was also found to reduce the intention of women to leave an organisation. However, work–family enrichment has a more substantial influence on intensifying work satisfaction than on deflating the choice to quit during a crisis. Therefore, the research findings revealed that work–family enrichment is essential in improving work satisfaction, increasing employees’ likelihood of remaining in the organisation. This study contributes to filling the research gap within work–family enrichment by digging into the practical lessons of women’s work behaviour in the service sector, specifically in the hotel industry.
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Kamp B, Gibaja JJ, San Martin J, Turiel I. Adoption of measures to mitigate the impact of COVID-19: In search of a Hofstedian explanation for patterns among individual countries and country clusters. SAFETY SCIENCE 2023; 157:105902. [PMID: 36061517 PMCID: PMC9420697 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssci.2022.105902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Revised: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
We consider multiple safety measures in relation to the COVID-19 virus and look at their adoption levels for a variety of 15 individual countries, based on data from Yougov.co.uk. Subsequently, we establish correlation coefficients between measure-specific uptake levels and Hofstede dimension scores for all countries considered. We notably find that Power Distance Index (PDI) and Individualism (IDV) have a considerable explanatory power. In addition, we carried out a Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and a cluster analysis to see whether the behavioural patterns across countries can be grouped, and which Hofstede dimensions correlate strongest with the two main components that follow from the PCA. The PCA provides further confirmation of PDI and IDV being the most important explanatory factors for the uptake of measures across countries. The cluster analysis, in turn, reveals four broad groups, which only partly coincide with the way that the mental image clustering scheme by Wursten (2019) allots countries into its respective clusters. Hence, this provides a basis to suggest that data-driven exercises like the ones from our paper can serve to adjust Wursten's intuitive scheme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bart Kamp
- Orkestra-Basque Institute of Competitiveness / Deusto Business School, Spain
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Skórka P, Grzywacz B, Moroń D, Lenda M. COVID-19 in Memes: The Adaptive Response of Societies to the Pandemic? INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:12969. [PMID: 36232263 PMCID: PMC9566158 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191912969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
COVID-19 expanded rapidly throughout the world, with enormous health, social, and economic consequences. Mental health is the most affected by extreme negative emotions and stress, but it has been an underestimated part of human life during the pandemic. We hypothesized that people may have responded to the pandemic spontaneously with increased interest in and creation of funny internet memes. Using Google and Google Trends, we revealed that the number of and interest in funny internet memes related to COVID-19 exploded during the spring 2020 lockdown. The interest in coronavirus memes was positively correlated with interest in mortality due to COVID-19 on a global scale, and positively associated with the real number of deaths and cases reported in different countries. We compared content of a random sample of 200 coronavirus memes with a random sample of 200 non-coronavirus memes found on the Internet. The sentiment analysis showed that coronavirus memes had a similar proportion of positive and negative words compared to non-coronavirus memes. However, an internet questionnaire revealed that coronavirus memes gained higher funniness scores than a random sample of non-coronavirus memes. Our results confirm that societies may have turned to humor to cope with the threat of SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piotr Skórka
- Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, 31-120 Kraków, Poland
| | - Beata Grzywacz
- Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, 31-016 Kraków, Poland
| | - Dawid Moroń
- Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, 31-016 Kraków, Poland
| | - Magdalena Lenda
- Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, 31-120 Kraków, Poland
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Wang Z, Li Y, Xu R, Yang H. How culture orientation influences the COVID-19 pandemic: An empirical analysis. Front Psychol 2022; 13:899730. [PMID: 36248523 PMCID: PMC9559590 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.899730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose This study aims to investigate the mediational path of the influence of cultural orientation on the COVID-19 pandemic outcome at the national level and find out whether some culture-related factors can have a moderating effect on the influence of culture. Methodology Cultural dimension theory of Hofstede is used to quantify the degree of each dimension of culture orientation. The cross-section regression model is adopted to test if culture orientations affect the pandemic outcome, controlling for democracy, economy, education, population, age, and time. Then, a mediational analysis is conducted to examine if policy response is the mediator that culture makes an impact on the pandemic outcome. Finally, a moderation analysis is carried out to determine how each control variable has moderated the influence. Findings The cross-section regression results showed that culture orientation influences the outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic at the 99% confidence level and that among the six cultural dimensions, collectivism-individualism has the most significant impact. It has also been found that policy response is the mediator of cultural influence, and culture-related factors can moderate the influence. Contribution The contribution of this research lies in developing the assertion that culture influences pandemic outcomes. Our findings indicate that collectivism-individualism culture orientation affects the effectiveness of epidemic controls the most among the six culture dimensions. Additionally, our research is the first to study the mediating effect of policy responses and the moderating effect of culture-related factors on the influence of cultural orientation on the pandemic outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuo Wang
- Department of International Economics and Trade, School of Economics, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Zhuo Wang
| | - Yi Li
- Department of International Economics and Trade, School of Economics, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, China
- Yi Li
| | - Ruiqing Xu
- Stuart School of Business, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Haoting Yang
- Department of Environmental Design, School of Art Design, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
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Dang J, Xiao S. Collectivism reduces objective mobility trends to public areas during the COVID-19 pandemic. Front Public Health 2022; 10:996036. [PMID: 36249190 PMCID: PMC9554261 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.996036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
In order to slow down the spread of the coronavirus, staying at home and avoiding going outside have been either strongly recommended or stringently enforced by governments all over the globe. Previous studies found that people with more collectivist orientation were more willing to comply with governmental guidelines and engage in preventive behaviors such as social distancing. However, these studies were based on self-report data within a short period. The current study aims to overcome these limitations by using objective mobility data generated by Google users all over the world during the past two years, thus providing a stronger test for the predictive effect of collectivism on preventive measures in response to the pandemic. We found consistent results at both the US state level (n = 50) and the country/territory level (n = 133), such that people in more collectivistic regions reduced their visits to and length of stay at certain public areas such as parks during the past two years. Our findings emphasize the importance of cultural values in face of global crises.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junhua Dang
- School of Psychology, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China
- Department of Surgical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Shanshan Xiao
- Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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Guedhami O, Knill A, Megginson WL, Senbet LW. The dark side of globalization: Evidence from the impact of COVID-19 on multinational companies. JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS STUDIES 2022; 53:1603-1640. [PMID: 36093034 PMCID: PMC9446631 DOI: 10.1057/s41267-022-00540-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to economic and health crises ("twin crises") worldwide. Using a sample of firms from 73 countries over the period January to December 2020, we examine stock price reactions of multinational corporations (MNCs) and purely domestic companies (DCs) to the crisis. We find that, on average, MNCs suffer a significantly larger decline in firm value relative to DCs during the stock market crisis caused by the pandemic with notable heterogeneity in this underperformance across both industry and region. The evidence of MNC underperformance is robust to using abnormal returns, an alternative crisis window, a matched sample that accounts for differences in characteristics between MNCs and DCs, alternative model specifications, and alternative proxies for multinationality. Further analysis on the effect of government responses on the valuation gap suggests that stringent government responses exacerbate MNCs' underperformance. Finally, we show that a stronger financial system mitigates negative crisis returns, especially under stringent government responses, while real factors, such as the firm's supply chain, investments in human capital, research and development, exacerbate negative crisis returns. Our findings have important implications for managers of MNCs and government policymakers alike and contribute to studies on the international diversification-performance relation by demonstrating a dark side of globalization during a tail-risk event.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omrane Guedhami
- C. Russell Hill Professor and Professor of International Finance, University of South Carolina, Columbia, USA
- SKK Business School, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), Seoul, Korea
| | - April Knill
- Truist Professor of Finance, Florida State University, Tallahassee, USA
| | | | - Lemma W. Senbet
- The William E. Mayer Chair Professor of Finance, University of Maryland, College Park, USA
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Aynaoğlu Yıldız G, Topdağı Yılmaz EP. The association between protein levels in 24-hour urine samples and maternal and neonatal outcomes of pregnant women with preeclampsia. J Turk Ger Gynecol Assoc 2022; 23:190-198. [PMID: 36065980 PMCID: PMC9450919 DOI: 10.4274/jtgga.galenos.2022.2022-4-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective Hypertensive diseases of pregnancy are one of the leading causes of maternal and perinatal mortality worldwide. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between protein levels in 24-hour urine samples and maternal and perinatal outcomes in preeclamptic patients. Material and Methods This retrospective cohort study was conducted with pregnant women who were diagnosed with preeclampsia (PE) and delivered in our clinic between 2010 and 2018. Patients were divided into those with a proteinuria value below 300 mg/24 h (non-proteinuria), proteinuria value between 300-2000 mg/24 h (mild proteinuria), proteinuria value between 2000-5000 mg/24 h (severe proteinuria) and proteinuria value >5000 mg/24 h (massive proteinuria) and were compared in terms of maternal and perinatal outcomes. Demographic characteristics (age, body mass index in kg/m2, gravidity), PE-related clinical symptoms (epigastric pain, neurological and respiratory symptoms), laboratory findings (24 h protein level, lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate aminotransferase, platelet count and creatine levels) were recorded in all patients. Results A total of 1,379 patients meeting the study criteria were included. There were 315 (23%) patients in the non-proteinuria group, 704 (51%) in the mild proteinuria group, 234 (17%) patients in the severe group and 126 (9%) patients in the massive proteinuria group. The massive proteinuria group was found to have the highest rates of maternal and prenatal complications. The Apgar score, umbilical cord pH value, birth weight, gestational week at delivery, intrauterine growth restriction and intrauterine fetal death were significantly higher in the massive proteinuria group. Conclusion Our data showed that the degree of proteinuria appears to be associated with maternal, fetal and neonatal outcomes among women diagnosed with PE. Women with proteinuria of >5000 mg/24 hours had notably poorer natal outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gülşah Aynaoğlu Yıldız
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey
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9
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What does COVID-19 teach us about the role of national culture? Evidence from social distancing restrictions. JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL MARKETS, INSTITUTIONS AND MONEY 2022; 80:101647. [PMCID: PMC9450466 DOI: 10.1016/j.intfin.2022.101647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
In this paper, we exploit the immediacy, magnitude, and global extent of the COVID-19 shock to investigate the role of national culture in determining differences in publicly imposed social distancing restrictions. Employing the Stringency Index of the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker database for 85 countries, we find that countries with higher values of Hofstede’s power distance adopted more stringent social distancing measures in response to COVID-19. In contrast, countries with more heightened individualism and long-term orientation implemented fewer such policies. Further, culture impacts the quickness to adopt social distancing policies. Results are robust to using alternative measures of national culture and controlling for endogeneity. They are also robust to extending the sample to the end of June 2021, using daily observations. Results suggest that societies rich in the cultural qualities of individualism and long-term orientation, often seen as promoting economic cooperation and stability, are less effective at dealing with sudden and transformative public policy crises than those with high levels of power distance. Results confirm the potent role of national culture in impacting institutions.
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Li J, Akaliyski P, Heisig JP, Löbl S, Minkov M. Flexible societies excelled in saving lives in the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Front Psychol 2022; 13:924385. [PMID: 36092034 PMCID: PMC9461707 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.924385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Previous studies have shown that national cultural traits, such as collectivism–individualism and tightness–looseness, are associated with COVID-19 infection and mortality rates. However, although East Asian countries have outperformed other countries in containing COVID-19 infections and lowering mortality in the first pandemic waves, no studies to date have examined flexibility-monumentalism, a cultural trait that uniquely distinguishes East Asia from the rest of the world. Moreover, none of the previous studies have explored mechanisms underpinning the association between national culture and COVID-19 mortality. Aims Our study fills in these gaps by examining the association between flexibility-monumentalism and COVID-19 mortality, adjusting for important covariates and by analyzing mask wearing and fear of COVID-19 during the first weeks of the pandemic as plausible mechanisms underpinning this association. Methods We constructed and analyzed a dataset including 37 countries that have valid information on flexibility-monumentalism, COVID-19 deaths as of 31 October 2020 (before the start of vaccination campaigns), and relevant covariates including two other national cultural traits (individualism–collectivism and tightness–looseness) and other national characteristics (economic, political, demographic and health). Multiple linear regression with heteroscedasticity-consistent standard errors was used to assess the independent effect of flexibility-monumentalism on COVID-19 mortality. Mediation was assessed by examining the indirect effects of flexibility through mask wearing and fear of COVID-19 and determining the statistical significance through bootstrapping. Graphical and delete-one analysis was used to assess the robustness of the results. Results We found that flexibility was associated with a significant reduction in COVID-19 mortality as of 31 October 2020, independent of level of democracy, per capita GDP, urbanization, population density, supply of hospital beds, and median age of the population. This association with mortality is stronger and more robust than for two other prominent national cultural traits (individualism–collectivism and tightness–looseness). We also found tentative evidence that the effect of flexibility on COVID-19 mortality may be partially mediated through mask wearing in the first weeks of the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianghong Li
- President’s Research Group, WZB Berlin Social Science Center, Berlin, Germany
- Telethon KIDS Institute, Perth, Western Australia
- Faculty of Business and Law, Bankwest-Curtin Economics Centre, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
- *Correspondence: Jianghong Li,
| | - Plamen Akaliyski
- Department of Social Sciences, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Graduate School of System Design and Management, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Jan Paul Heisig
- Research Group “Health and Social Inequality”, WZB Berlin Social Science Center, Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Sociology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Simon Löbl
- Research Group “Health and Social Inequality”, WZB Berlin Social Science Center, Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael Minkov
- Department of Business and Economics, Varna University of Management, Sofia, Bulgaria
- Department of Economics, Tartu University, Tartu, Estonia
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Gamsakhurdia VL. ‘Exploring strategies of semiotic mediation – Making sense of COVID-19’. CULTURE & PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [PMCID: PMC9381618 DOI: 10.1177/1354067x221117177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Human meaning-making becomes particularly dramatic at times of social or
biological calamities. COVID-19 appeared in the winter of 2020 and had an
immense catalytic influence on peoples' lives worldwide. New coronavirus was a
new object for many people and they needed the challenge to make sense of it.
The meaning of new coronavirus influenceed an individual’s self-positioning in
relation to the new threat in the context of related developments. This
manuscript reveals the diversity in mediating new coronavirus among discussants
representing the same ethnocultural community. Taking the perspective of
cultural psychology of semiotic dynamics, we assume that people would make sense
of the new coronavirus sourcing semiotic resources from the socio-cultural
context; however, simultaneously it is argued that there are no hegemonic ways
of reacting to COVID-19. Individuals are considered not passive recipients of
external guidance but rather proactive agents whose interpretants serve as
regulators of internal and hetero dialogues. Through our exploration, we
identified the variety of semiotic techniques which are used by individuals
whilst making sense of new signs and developments through various ways of their
schematisation and pleromatization. The online-ethnographic research approach
was taken to explore various forms of COVID-19 mediation.
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Chow DYL, Petrou A, Procopiou A. A Perspective on the Influence of National Corporate Governance Institutions and Government's Political Ideology on the Speed to Lockdown as a Means of Protection Against Covid-19. JOURNAL OF BUSINESS ETHICS : JBE 2022; 185:1-18. [PMID: 35967486 PMCID: PMC9362367 DOI: 10.1007/s10551-022-05216-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
This first wave study of the Covid-19 pandemic investigates why the governments of different countries proceeded to lockdown at different speeds. We draw upon the literature on Corporate Governance Institutions (CGIs) to theorize that governments' decision-making is undertaken in the light of prevailing beliefs, norms, and rules of the collectivity, as portrayed by the focal country's CGIs, in their effort to maintain legitimacy. In addition, drawing on motivated cognition we posit that the government's political ideology moderates this relationship because decision-makers are biased when assessing the impact of lockdown on commerce. Running negative binomial regressions on a sample of 125 countries, we find that the more shareholder-oriented the CGIs, the slower the governmental response in shutting down the economy to protect from the pandemic. Moreover, the main relationship is stronger the more right-leaning the government's ideology. Our study contributes to the research on corporate governance institutions and political ideology and illustrates how societal and ideological biases affect government decision-making, especially when important decisions about public welfare are taken with little information on hand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dawn Yi Lin Chow
- Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Asia Competitiveness Institute, National University of Singapore, 259772, Oei Tiong Ham Building, Singapore
| | - Andreas Petrou
- Cyprus University of Technology, 30 Arch. Kyprianos Str, 3036 Limassol, Cyprus
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Gerace A, Rigney G, Anderson JR. Predicting attitudes towards easing COVID-19 restrictions in the United States of America: The role of health concerns, demographic, political, and individual difference factors. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0263128. [PMID: 35196316 PMCID: PMC8865684 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0263128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite rising cases of COVID-19 in the United States of America, several states are easing restrictions (e.g., relaxing physical distancing requirements, reopening businesses) that were imposed to limit community transmission of the virus. Individuals hold differing opinions regarding whether restrictions should continue to be imposed or lifted, evidenced, for example, by debate and protests regarding reopening of businesses and venues. Health and social psychological research suggest that perceptions of COVID-19related risk, experiences of the virus, and individual difference factors can help explain individuals' attitudes towards health initiatives and their tendency to be persuaded towards a specific course of action. The purpose of this study was to investigate what factors influence support or opposition to easing COVID-19-related restrictions. A sample of 350 United States citizens, responding to an anonymous survey, were asked about the extent to which they support/oppose easing of COVID-19-related restrictions, both generally and in relation to specific restrictions. Respondents completed measures of their experiences of COVID-19, individual difference factors, and demographic variables, including political affiliation and degree of social and economic conservatism. In a series of regression analyses, significant demographic predictors of support or opposition for easing restrictions were gender, age, ethnicity, and education, with political affiliation and degree of social and economic conservatism also predicting attitudes. Experiences related to COVID-19 that predicted attitudes were concerns for self and family, perceptions of threat posed by the virus, perceived ability to adhere to restrictions, willingness to take government direction, and belief in COVID-19-related conspiracy theories. At an individual differences level, uncertainty avoidance, collectivism, long-term orientation, masculinity, empathic concern, personal distress, reactance, and general conspiracy theory beliefs all significantly precited attitudes to easing restrictions. Understanding the factors that help explain attitudes towards COVID-19 restrictions can inform how best to position health messaging and initiatives going forward, particularly as states or countries open borders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Gerace
- College of Psychology, School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, CQUniversity, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Gabrielle Rigney
- College of Psychology, School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, CQUniversity, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Joel R. Anderson
- School of Psychology, Australian Catholic University, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia
- Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
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