Culture and the COVID‐19 Pandemic: Multiple Mechanisms and Policy Implications

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic has taken a massive toll on human life worldwide. The case of the United States—the world's largest economy—is particularly noteworthy, since the country suffered a disproportionately larger number of deaths than all other countries during the first year of the pandemic. A careful analysis may shed new light on the multifaceted processes contributing to this failure and help us prepare ourselves not to repeat the same mistakes in the future. Cultural psychology offers unique insights by highlighting mutually reinforcing interactions across collective, cultural, and psychological factors. Here, we review extant evidence and argue that various factors at these disparate levels converged to foster an independent mode of action, which, in turn, undermined effective coping with the infectious disease. The lack of effective political leadership exacerbated the resulting dire state of the country. Drawing on this analysis, we discuss several policy recommendations at collective, cultural, and psychological levels.

The connection between COVID-19 vaccine abundance, vaccination coverage, and public trust in government across the globe

“…Moreover, primary evidence suggests that the potential for the acceptance of Covid-19 vaccines in these countries was particularly high and probably had roots in their longstanding belief in immunization programmes [20,21] that could go beyond the public's confidence in present government. An imbedded belief in immunization programmes has also been reported as a contributor in the success of vaccination campaign in Portugal [22] and its relative failure in the US [23,24].…”

Two large-scale global studies on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy over time: Culture, uncertainty avoidance, and vaccine side-effect concerns.

“…Overall, by revealing how people in different cultures responded to the pandemic, I underscore the importance of cultural psychology in the face of global crises (Kitayama et al, 2022). Understanding the cultural differences in vaccine hesitancy is important, as delaying vaccination for even a short period can increase morbidity and mortality.…”

Culture and COVID-19: Impact of Cross-Cultural Dimensions on Behavioral Responses

“…Looking at country-level data, the United States has recorded the largest number of infected cases and suffered a disproportionately higher number of lost lives to COVID-19 compared to all other countries in the first year of the pandemic [39]. Americans typically tend to be high on individualism [17,25,40], with American society marked by a preference for independence and a prioritization of individual freedom over collective welfare.…”

“…In fact, as some note, there is even a resistance against the collective [41]. It can be argued that the fatalities suffered in the United States owing to the COVID-19 pandemic are partly attributable to the premium placed on individual freedom, independence, and autonomy, all captured through the cultural orientation of individualism [39]. This focus on individualism may have prompted a lack of adherence to public health measures in pursuit of individual freedom and liberty.…”

“…There were even news reports [42] in the early days of the pandemic of beaches in Florida being crammed with people enjoying their spring break, with little thought to health advisories such as social distancing to mitigate the virus spread. In the US, even well-established practices such as mask wearing for containing the pandemic [43] have been met with resistance and have been portrayed as an affront to people's freedoms [39]. Thus, with the prevalent individualist ethos, what we may have seen in the US is the prioritization of individual choice and personal freedom at the cost of collective consequences.…”