COVID-19: Why are health guidelines not always followed?
Protecting oneself from getting sick and risking one's life should be the natural behavior of every individual. However, according to the survey we conducted between March 17 and April 15 among 5,800 French people, on the day of the municipal elections (i.e., March 15), only 23% of those surveyed were complying with all the health guidelines set by the government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Afterwards, during lockdown, the proportion of those who followed them systematically did not exceed 37%—and only 17 of the 5,800 people surveyed said they had not obeyed the guidelines at all during this period.
Patrice Cottet, University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA); Jean-Marc Ferrandi, University of Nantes; Marie-Christine Lichtlé, University of Montpellier and Véronique Plichon, University of Tours
Specifically, several measures are not widely followed: the use of disposable tissues (only 77.1% say they do so), hand washing (59.6%), and sneezing into the crook of the elbow (76.1%). Conversely, even though a significant number of individuals do not apply them, other measures are better respected: the requirement to carry an exemption certificate when leaving home (93.6% do so), limiting travel (81.3%), maintaining social distancing (84.8%), not kissing anyone (86.5%), and not shaking hands (96.9%). So why is it that, even though the government has been sending out numerous messages about health guidelines, some of us are not following these instructions to the letter?
A question of psychological distance
Many factors (sociodemographic, cultural, environmental, etc.) have been identified to explain why health guidelines are or are not being followed. However, it is also possible that this reflects the priority given by each individual to the present rather than the future, particularly in terms of health: the more abstract and psychologically distant the disease and its consequences seem from your daily life and experience, the less precautions you take to avoid future risks.
This trend can be explained by the theory of construct levels developed by Yaacov Trope and Nira Liberman. It provides a better understanding of how individuals think, represent their actions, and make decisions: they form "mental constructs" that vary according to the perceived psychological distance (spatial, temporal, social, hypothetical) from objects.
In short, according to this theory, the more distant the disease seems from your world, the more abstract it becomes and the less you feel the need to take action. Our survey confirms this for COVID-19: if none of your loved ones have been affected, if there are no cases near where you live, and if you feel that the likelihood of contracting the disease is low, then you will be less inclined to follow health guidelines.
Three types of behavior
In fact, before and during lockdown, this psychological distance was reflected in our survey by three types of behavior, or three groups of people that we will compare.
The first group (37.18% of respondents), which corresponds to men and women who are slightly younger than the average age of those surveyed and have a relatively high level of education, felt more concerned once lockdown was declared. For these people, the disease became more real: its psychological distance diminished. Whereas before, and particularly on March 15, they felt they had nothing to fear, were not afraid, and perceived COVID-19 as a disease that could not affect them. As a result, hygiene and distancing rules were less strictly observed than in the other two groups, and these individuals did not hesitate to leave their homes to find a more suitable place to self-isolate.
With lockdown, the situation changed. Having experienced symptoms, some people feared they were carriers of the virus or had COVID-19. In their minds, this disease became more real, but also more serious. The psychological distance has therefore greatly diminished, and in this first group, the perceived risk to themselves and others is above average compared to the population in our sample. These people are therefore keeping themselves better informed, avoiding contact within their households, and are more stressed and anxious.
In the second group (42.19% of respondents), with a lower level of education, psychological distance from COVID-19 did not change with lockdown. These people have felt quite distant from the disease since the beginning of the crisis. Although they have generally followed health guidelines since March 15, they are less stressed. In addition, they have not experienced any symptoms of the disease. During lockdown, they did not hesitate to engage in outdoor physical activity or have face-to-face contact, believing themselves to be less likely than others to be carriers of the virus or to have the disease.
In the third group (20.63% of respondents), consisting mainly of women younger than the sample average, psychological distance from COVID-19 increased with lockdown. Considering themselves at risk, these individuals were initially the most anxious and stressed. They feared the disease, which they perceived as real and not distant. They therefore welcomed the health guidelines very favorably and complied with them fully. However, although the perceived risk to themselves and others remains very high in this group (compared to the other two), no symptoms of the disease were experienced during lockdown—which is why COVID-19 is now perceived as a distant threat.
However, these individuals continue to disinfect their homes and avoid contact as much as possible, both inside and outside the home. But because they follow the guidelines and take preventive measures, they estimate that the likelihood of having the disease and being carriers of the virus is lower than average.
Ultimately, this survey sheds light on people's behaviors in response to COVID-19. But its analysis can be extended to other diseases. It opens up new avenues in terms of communication, whether for the implementation of public health prevention policies or risk management.
Informing the public, with rational arguments, about the protective measures to be taken is not enough in itself: it is also necessary to make everyone feel that the danger is close. To encourage people to take action, and therefore to follow the guidelines, the disease must become concrete and/or be perceived as present in the immediate environment.
This article was written in response to a call for flash contributions from the Revue française de gestion (French Management Review) in the context of the health crisis caused by the virus responsible for Covid-19.
Patrice Cottet, Associate Professor of Management Sciences, University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA); Jean-Marc Ferrandi, Professor of Marketing and Innovation at Oniris, University of Nantes; Marie-Christine Lichtlé, University Professor, University of Montpellier and Véronique Plichon, University Professor of Management Sciences, University of Tours
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Readthe original article.