Cited by 346Cultural Differences and ValuesCOVID-19 Prevention and ImpactCOVID-19 epidemiological studies

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Collectivism predicts mask use during COVID-19

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Lu, Jackson G., Jin, Peter, English, Alexander S.·2021·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI 10.1073/pnas.2021793118PMC PMC8201834

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Abstract

Since its outbreak, COVID-19 has impacted world regions differentially. Whereas some regions still record tens of thousands of new infections daily, other regions have contained the virus. What explains these striking regional differences? We advance a cultural psychological perspective on mask usage, a precautionary measure vital for curbing the pandemic. Four large-scale studies provide evidence that collectivism (versus individualism) positively predicts mask usage-both within the United States and across the world. Analyzing a dataset of all 3,141 counties of the 50 US states (based on 248,941 individuals), Study 1a revealed that mask usage was higher in more collectivistic US states. Study 1b replicated this finding in another dataset of 16,737 individuals in the 50 US states. Analyzing a dataset of 367,109 individuals in 29 countries, Study 2 revealed that mask usage was higher in more collectivistic countries. Study 3 replicated this finding in a dataset of 277,219 Facebook users in 67 countries. The link between collectivism and mask usage was robust to a host of control variables, including cultural tightness-looseness, political affiliation, demographics, population density, socioeconomic indicators, universal health coverage, government response stringency, and time. Our research suggests that culture fundamentally shapes how people respond to crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding cultural differences not only provides insight into the current pandemic, but also helps the world prepare for future crises.

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Self-citation

Authors: Lu, J. G., Jin, P., & English, A. S.
Affiliations: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
Shanghai International Studies University (CN)
Corresponding author: Lu, Jackson G.
English, Alexander S.
ORCID: Lu, Jackson G.
Jin, Peter
English, Alexander S.
Venue: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Publisher: National Academy of Sciences
Published: 2021-05-20
Volume: 118
Issue: 23
ISSN: 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
1091-6490
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2021793118
PMC: PMC8201834
OpenAlex: W3160951844
Cited by: 342
References: 57
Citations by year: 2026: 20 · 2025: 49 · 2024: 57 · 2023: 73 · 2022: 118 · 2021: 23
FWCI: 67.37
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: bronze
doi.org
Licence: www.pnas.org/site/aboutpnas/licenses.xhtml (vor, 184 d)
Locations: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
DSpace@MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
Funders: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Cultural Differences and Values
Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › COVID-19 Prevention and Impact
Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Modeling and Simulation › COVID-19 epidemiological studies
Keywords: collectivism, individualism, masking, COVID-19 pandemic, cultural values, cross-national comparison, cultural tightness-looseness, crisis response, cultural psychology, public health behavior
MeSH terms: COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Humans, Individuality, Masks, Pandemics

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Collectivism predicts mask use during COVID-19

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