Aust N Z J Public Health . Australians underestimate social compliance with coronavirus restrictions: findings from a national survey

[tetano]

Aust N Z J Public Health


. 2021 Dec 23.
doi: 10.1111/1753-6405.13195. Online ahead of print.
Australians underestimate social compliance with coronavirus restrictions: findings from a national survey


Zoe Leviston[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Samantha K Stanley[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Iain Walker[SUP] 1 [/SUP]



Affiliations

• PMID: 34941006
• DOI: 10.1111/1753-6405.13195

Abstract

Objective: We assessed differences between Australians' perceptions of their own compliance with coronavirus restrictions and their perceptions of community compliance.
Methods: We surveyed a national quota sample of 1,691 Australians in August and September 2020. Participants reported their level of compliance with coronavirus restrictions and estimated compliance from others in their state/territory.
Results: Overwhelmingly, most people reported complying with restrictions. They believed their fellow community members were much less compliant. Age and other demographics were only weakly associated with self-reported compliance and perceptions of others' compliance.
Conclusions: The results are consistent with prevalent cognitive biases, including the tendency to believe one is better-than-average, and to more easily recall instances of deviances from social norms. Implications for public health: We recommend public health messaging avoids amplifying instances of social transgressions of coronavirus restrictions. Instead, the widespread nature of social compliance with restrictions across the country should be emphasised.

Keywords: COVID-19; better-than-average effect; coronavirus; uniqueness bias.

 

[sharon sanders]

Instead, the widespread nature of social compliance with restrictions across the country should be emphasised.

People are not that stupid. They know when they are being manipulated.