Using a cultural and social identity lens to understand pandemic responses in the US and India

Abstract

The world over, countries have been racing to control the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. Central to the mitigation of the virus spread is the ability of nations to ensure behavior of its people adheres to the constraints imposed in the wake of the pandemic. However, there has been much variation in how individuals and collectives have responded in conformance to expected behavioral changes necessitated by the pandemic. The paper offers a cross-cultural and social identity perspective based on group categorizations to understand the variation in pandemic responses in the context of two different countries, that of India and the United States. Relevant cultural dimensions of difference shaping behavior such as individualism-collectivism, power distance, and other cultural norms shaping divergent behavioral responses in the US and India are examined. Differing group categorizations relevant for each country are also explored to understand the dynamics of behavioral response, be it adherence to mask wearing and following norms of social distancing, or the migrant labor exodus in India from urban to rural areas amidst the first wave of the pandemic. Implications for managing behavioral responses considering cross-cultural differences and group categorization processes are also discussed.

Collectivism, individualism and COVID-19 prevention: a cross sectional study of personality, culture and behavior among Canadians

“…Given the evidence summarized above, it is clear that considering nuanced models of cultural orientations along with personality traits can help isolate the independent relationship of these on COVID-19 prevention; thereby assisting public health leaders in responding to COVID-19 (Bayeh, Yampolsky, & Ryder, 2021 ; Caulkins, 1999 ; Erman & Medeiros, 2021 ; Nair & Selvaraj, 2021 ; Siritzky, Condon, & Weston, 2022 ). This exploratory analyses may be especially beneficial when considering how public health messaging can be best tailored to promote widespread uptake among individuals with diverse personal characteristics and cultural dispositions (Borah, Hwang, & Hsu, 2021 ; Clark, Davila, Regis, & Kraus, 2020 ; Courtney, Felig, & Goldenberg, 2022 ; Kemmelmeier & Jami, 2021 ; Mo & Park, 2021 ; Yu et al, 2021 ).…”

Engaging with contemporary issues: Should we study war?

“…Bajaj et al (2021) has focused on the impact of cross-cultural differences on crisis management during COVID. Nair and Selvaraj (2021) have looked at cultural and social identity as a lens for understanding responses to managing COVID. Now, the pandemic may or may not be viewed as a fleeting contemporary issue.…”

Dutiful Citizens: Predictors of COVID-19 Policy Complaint Behavior in India

“…Given this strong affiliation to the group, individuals are more likely to be persuaded by messages from their in-group than any other group (Turner et al, 1987). In a recent study by Nair and Selvaraj (2021), pandemic responses in the US and India were examined through a cultural and social identity lens. The authors examined the cognitions and attitudes of individuals in response to the pandemic in the two groups-the Republicans and Democrats-and highlighted the differing cognitive appraisals of the pandemic and the subsequent behaviour within members of the two groups.…”

“…The authors examined the cognitions and attitudes of individuals in response to the pandemic in the two groups-the Republicans and Democrats-and highlighted the differing cognitive appraisals of the pandemic and the subsequent behaviour within members of the two groups. Given the uncertainty brought by the pandemic, it is likely that the unprecedented nature of the current scenario induced a stronger identification and feeling of oneness with the relevant group identities (Democrat or Republican), which could have potentially led to the distortions in processing information regarding the virus (Nair & Selvaraj, 2021). While examining the scenario in India, the authors highlighted differing behavioural responses among the rural and urban population, where migrant workers were forced to trek back to their villages and urban residents had the means to social distance and observe other measures of safety.…”