Soc Sci Med . Non-compliance with COVID-19-related public health measures among young adults in Switzerland: Insights from a longitudinal cohort study

[tetano]

Soc Sci Med


. 2020 Sep 16;268:113370.
doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113370. Online ahead of print.
Non-compliance with COVID-19-related public health measures among young adults in Switzerland: Insights from a longitudinal cohort study


Amy Nivette ¹ , Denis Ribeaud ² , Aja Murray ³ , Annekatrin Steinhoff ² , Laura Bechtiger ² , Urs Hepp ⁴ , Lilly Shanahan ⁵ , Manuel Eisner ⁶



Affiliations

• PMID: 32980677
• DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113370

Abstract

Rationale: Adolescents and young adults were identified internationally as a group with potentially low compliance rates with public health measures aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Although non-compliance research during pandemics has typically focused on concurrent correlates, less is known about how prior social and psychological risk factors are associated with non-compliance during pandemics.
Objective: This paper leverages a prospective-longitudinal cohort study with data before and during the pandemic to describe patterns of non-compliance with COVID- 19 related public health measures in young adults and to identify which characteristics increase the risk of non-compliance.
Methods: Data came from an ongoing cohort study in Zurich, Switzerland (n=737). Non-compliance with public health measures and concurrent correlates were measured at age 22. Antecedent sociodemographic, social, and psychological factors were measured at ages 15-20. Young adults generally complied with COVID-19 public health measures, although non-compliance with some measures (e.g., cleaning/disinfecting mobile phones, standing 1.5-2 meters apart) was relatively higher.
Results: Non-compliance, especially with hygiene-related measures, was more prevalent in males, and in individuals with higher education, higher SES, and a nonmigrant background. Non-compliance was higher in young adults who had previously scored high on indicators of "antisocial potential," including low acceptance of moral rules, pre-pandemic legal cynicism, low shame/guilt, low self-control, engagement in delinquent behaviors, and association with delinquent peers. Young adults with low trust, including in the government's measures for fighting the virus, also complied less.
Conclusions: In order to increase voluntary compliance with COVID-19 measures, public health campaigns should implement strategies that foster moral obligation and trust in authorities, or leverage trustworthy individuals in the community to disseminate information. For young adults with low self-control, self-monitoring, environmental restructuring, or nudging may increase compliance. Long-term investments into integrating youth with antisocial potential into society may decrease rule-breaking behaviors, including during pandemics when compliance saves lives.