To curb the pandemic, it is critical that people prioritise the collective welfare over personal convenience
A new research paper has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences today by Jackson Lu, Professor, Sloan School of Management – Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), about the use of masks for preventing COVID-19. It tends to explain the cultural psychology striking regional differences regarding the use of COVID-19 masks.
Analysing a dataset of 367,109 people in 29 countries and another dataset of 277,219 Facebook users in 67 countries, Lu found that mask use is higher in more collectivistic countries (e.g. South Korea, Thailand, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates (UAE)) than in more individualistic countries (e.g. the US and South Africa). The link between collectivism and mask use is robust even after accounting for a host of control variables, including demographics, population density, GDP per capita, access to healthcare and government response stringency.
Importantly, this link also exists within the United States.
Analysing a dataset of 248,941 individuals in all 50 states and another dataset of 16,737 individuals in all 50 states, Lu found that mask use is higher in more collectivistic US states (e.g. Hawaii) than in more individualistic US states (e.g. Montana and North Dakota).
The link between collectivism and mask use is again robust after accounting for a comprehensive set of control variables, including political orientation.
A key implication of this research is that, net of other factors, more collectivistic cultures are less vulnerable to global crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. To curb the pandemic, it is critical that people prioritise the collective welfare over personal convenience. To facilitate mask usage in individualistic cultures, practitioners could appeal to individualistic tastes through mask design (e.g., masks that are both effective and stylish).
“Understanding cultural differences not only provides insight into the current pandemic, but also helps the world prepare for future crises,” said Lu.