Covid-19: why are health regulations not always respected?

Protecting oneself from illness and risk should be the natural behavior of every individual. However, according to the survey we carried out 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 questioned complied with all the health instructions issued by the government in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. Afterwards, during the period of confinement, the proportion of those who followed them systematically was no more than 37% - and only 17 of the 5,800 people surveyed said they had not obeyed the instructions at all during this period.

Patrice Cottet, University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA)Jean-Marc Ferrandi, University of NantesMarie-Christine Lichtlé, University of Montpellier and Véronique Plichon, University of Tours

In detail, several measures are poorly followed: the use of disposable tissues (only 77.1% say they do this), hand washing (59.6%), and sneezing into the bend of the elbow (76.1%). Conversely, even if a significant number of people don't apply them, other measures are better respected: the obligation to carry a derogatory certificate on every outing (93.6% do so), limiting movement (81.3%), respecting distances (84.8%), not kissing anyone (86.5%) and not shaking hands (96.9%). At a time when the government is multiplying its messages on health guidelines, how can we explain the fact that some of us don't follow these instructions to the letter?

A question of psychological distance

Numerous factors (socio-demographic, cultural, environmental...) have been highlighted to explain why health regulations are or are not respected. But it may also reflect the priority we give to the present rather than the future, particularly in terms of health: the more abstract and psychologically distant illness and its consequences seem from your daily life and experience, the fewer precautions you take to avoid a future risk.

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 psychological distance (spatial, temporal, social, hypothetical) perceived with regard to objects.

Clearly, according to this theory, the more distant the disease object seems from your world, the more abstract it becomes, and the less you feel the need to act. Our survey confirms this for Covid-19: if no one close to you has been affected, if there are no sick people near you, if the possibility of contracting the disease seems remote, then you will be less inclined to follow health guidelines.

Three types of behavior

In practice, before and during confinement, this psychological distance was reflected in our survey by three types of behavior, i.e. three groups of people that we will compare.

The first group (37.18% of respondents), made up of men and women slightly younger than the average age of those surveyed and with a relatively high level of education, felt more concerned once confinement was decreed. For these people, the disease became more concrete: their psychological distance diminished. Whereas before, and particularly on March 15, they felt they had nothing to fear, and were not afraid, perceiving Covid-19 as a disease that could not affect them. As a result, the rules of hygiene and distancing were less respected than in the other two groups, and these individuals did not hesitate to leave their homes to choose a more suitable place of confinement.

Containment changed all that. Having experienced symptoms, some feared they were carriers of the virus or had Covid-19. In their minds, the disease became more concrete, but also more serious. Psychological distance has therefore decreased significantly, and in this first group, the perceived risk to self and others is above average compared to the population in our sample. As a result, these people keep themselves better informed, avoid contact at home, 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 confinement. Since the start of the crisis, these people have felt fairly distant from the disease. While they have generally applied the health instructions since March 15, they are less stressed. What's more, they haven't felt any symptoms of the disease. During the period of confinement, they did not hesitate to engage in physical activity outdoors or to have face-to-face contact, believing that the probability of carrying the virus or contracting the disease was lower than for others.

In the third group (20.63% of respondents), made up mainly of women who were younger than the sample average, psychological distance from Covid-19 increased with confinement. Considering themselves to be at risk, these people were initially the most anxious and stressed. They dreaded the disease, which they perceived as concrete and not very distant. As a result, they were very receptive to health advice and complied fully with it. But while the perceived risk to self and others remains very high in this group (compared to the other two), no symptoms of the disease were felt during the confinement - which is why Covid-19 is now perceived as a distant threat.

However, these people continue to disinfect their homes and avoid contact as much as possible, both inside and outside the home. As a result of this preventive behavior, they estimate their chances of contracting the disease and carrying the virus to be lower than average.

Ultimately, this survey sheds light on how people deal with 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 prevention policies in public health or risk management.

Informing the public, with rational argumentation, about the barrier gestures to adopt is not enough in itself: we must also enable everyone to feel that the danger is close at hand. To encourage people to act, and therefore to comply with instructions, the disease must become concrete and/or be perceived as present in the immediate environment.

This article was written following a call for flash contributions from the Revue française de gestion in the context of the health crisis caused by the virus responsible for Covid-19.

Patrice Cottet, Senior Lecturer in Management Sciences, University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA)Jean-Marc Ferrandi, Professor of Marketing and Innovation at Oniris, University of NantesMarie-Christine Lichtlé, University Professor, University of Montpellier and Véronique Plichon, Professor of Management Sciences, University of Tours

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read theoriginal article.