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Perceived social norm and behavior quickly adjusted to legal changes during the COVID-19 pandemic

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  • Casoria, Fortuna
  • Galeotti, Fabio
  • Villeval, Marie Claire

Abstract

Exploring the joint dynamics of laws and social norms helps understand when social norms are sticky or adaptive. Using the example of the social and physical distancing measures introduced to contain the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, we studied whether introducing, and then lifting, distancing regulations led individuals to quickly change their habits, not only by modifying the monetary incentives of rule violators but also by shifting the individuals’ perception of the appropriateness of social encounters. We conducted an online incentivized experiment in France, where we elicited the same participants’ perceived norm and social distancing behavior every week for three months. We find that both norm perception and behavior shifted as soon as the government introduced or removed social distancing measures. This effect was fast acting and long lasting, a result that highlights the importance of the expressive power of the law for norm formation and behavior.

Suggested Citation

  • Casoria, Fortuna & Galeotti, Fabio & Villeval, Marie Claire, 2021. "Perceived social norm and behavior quickly adjusted to legal changes during the COVID-19 pandemic," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 54-65.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:190:y:2021:i:c:p:54-65
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2021.07.030
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    1. repec:hal:wpaper:hal-03974756 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Talia Goren & Dana R. Vashdi & Itai Beeri, 2022. "Count on trust: the indirect effect of trust in government on policy compliance with health behavior instructions," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 55(4), pages 593-630, December.
    3. Gavrilets, Sergey & Tverskoi, Denis & Sánchez, Angel, 2023. "Modeling social norms: an integration of the norm-utility approach with beliefs dynamics," SocArXiv n934a, Center for Open Science.
    4. Tom Lane & Daniele Nosenzo & Silvia Sonderegger, 2023. "Law and Norms: Empirical Evidence," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 113(5), pages 1255-1293, May.
    5. Schunk, Daniel & Wagner, Valentin, 2021. "What determines the willingness to sanction violations of newly introduced social norms: Personality traits or economic preferences? evidence from the COVID-19 crisis," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    6. Chun Yee Wong & Le Zhang, 2022. "To protect myself, others, or both? An investigation of preferences and the uptake of COVID-19 preventative measures in Australia," Working Papers EMS_2022_04, Research Institute, International University of Japan.
    7. Daniel Schunk & Valentin Wagner, 2020. "What Determines the Enforcement of Newly Introduced Social Norms: Personality Traits or Economic Preferences? Evidence from the COVID-19 Crisis," Working Papers 2024, Gutenberg School of Management and Economics, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz.
    8. Fang, Ximeng & Freyer, Timo & Ho, Chui-Yee & Chen, Zihua & Goette, Lorenz, 2022. "Prosociality predicts individual behavior and collective outcomes in the COVID-19 pandemic," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 308(C).
    9. Deiana, Claudio & Geraci, Andrea & Mazzarella, Gianluca & Sabatini, Fabio, 2022. "Can relief measures nudge compliance in a public health crisis? Evidence from a kinked fiscal policy rule," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 202(C), pages 407-428.
    10. Fortuna Casoria & Fabio Galeotti & Marie Claire Villeval, 2023. "Trust and social preferences in times of acute health crisis," Working Papers 2304, Groupe d'Analyse et de Théorie Economique Lyon St-Étienne (GATE Lyon St-Étienne), Université de Lyon.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Social norms; Laws; COVID-19; Social distancing; Public policy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C92 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Group Behavior
    • K1 - Law and Economics - - Basic Areas of Law
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health

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