Lives versus Livelihoods? Perceived economic risk has a stronger association with support for COVID-19 preventive measures than perceived health risk

Abstract

This paper examines whether compliance with COVID-19 mitigation measures is motivated by wanting to save lives or save the economy (or both), and which implications this carries to fight the pandemic. National representative samples were collected from 24 countries (N = 25,435). The main predictors were (1) perceived risk to contract coronavirus, (2) perceived risk to suffer economic losses due to coronavirus, and (3) their interaction effect. Individual and country-level variables were added as covariates in multilevel regression models. We examined compliance with various preventive health behaviors and support for strict containment policies. Results show that perceived economic risk consistently predicted mitigation behavior and policy support—and its effects were positive. Perceived health risk had mixed effects. Only two significant interactions between health and economic risk were identified—both positive.

Perceived COVID-19 Threat and Reactions to Noncompliant Health-Protective Behaviors: The Mediating Role of Desired Cultural Tightness and the Moderating Role of Age

“…These results were supported; however, our participants were predominantly younger adults and our moderation by age effect was not present in the subsample that excluded older (60+ years) participants. This research is situated within the literature on the associations of tightness with variables specific to the COVID-19 pandemic [ 7 , 11 , 12 , 28 , 29 ]. Of these studies, only those by Mula and colleagues [ 11 , 12 ] recruited participants from Italy.…”

“…Mula and colleagues [ 11 , 12 ] found that the specific perceived COVID-19 threat was associated with an increased desired tightness in Italy. Nisa and colleagues [ 28 ] found, in a worldwide sample, that the more people perceived a personal health risk, the more they supported strict health measures (i.e., support for mandatory coronavirus vaccination and mandatory quarantine). Qin and colleagues [ 29 ] found that talking about the COVID-19 crisis (i.e., salient threat) among team members in workgroups was positively associated with team cultural tightness in a Chinese sample.…”

The Mediational Role of Desire for Cultural Tightness on Concern With COVID-19 and Perceived Self-Control

“…However, the pandemic threat, as we have seen, can increase in individuals the desire for strict rules and consequently their (at least perceived) selfcontrol; therefore, people under threat should be more likely to maintain regulated behavior and resist impulses that could be harmful to them and others at this time in history. For example, a recent cross-national study by Nisa et al (2021) found that the more people perceive a personal risk to suffer economic losses due to the pandemic (i.e., economic threat), the more they support strict health behaviors to contain the virus (wash hands, avoid crowds, socially isolate, support mandatory vaccination, and quarantine). Although our research did not directly investigate adaptive responses, such as health and protective behaviors, we believe our two studies could serve as a starting point and that future research could examine how improved self-control due to a stronger desire for tightness could lead to concrete protective and preventive behaviors.…”

COVID-19 stressors and health behaviors: A multilevel longitudinal study across 86 countries

“…As such, it is critical that each country develops effective interventions tailored to the context of the local community, particularly to those who are economically disadvantaged and/or at higher infection risk, to mitigate the negative impact of the pandemic on health behaviors. ( Han et al, 2021 , Nisa et al, 2021 )…”