To conform or not to conform? Legal norms and human behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Efficacy is one of the essential elements of laws and norms. In this paper I focus on the so-called “primary efficacy of legal norms, by measuring the level of compliance of citizens with norms introduced to counter the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, this analysis is carried out on Italy which was the first western democracy to face the pandemic and its effects. However, the norms considered take on a more general significance, since they mostly derive from the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations and were introduced widespread. To gather relevant data on citizens compliance with the norms, geographical factors, psychological characteristics and (mis)information consumption choices, we adopt a multidisciplinary perspective combining a traditional consumer survey with an experiment design focused on individual mood and perceptions. The results of the analysis allow to evaluate the expected short- and long-term effects of the norms, both with reference to those posed to combat the pandemic, and to social norms more generally.