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Individualism Versus Collectivism and the Early-Stage Transmission of COVID-19

Author

Listed:
  • Shuguang Jiang

    (Shandong University)

  • Qian Wei

    (Shandong University)

  • Luyao Zhang

    (Duke Kunshan University
    SciEcon CIC)

Abstract

We propose a perspective based on the individualism versus collectivism (IC) cultural distinction to understand the diverging early-stage transmission outcomes of COVID-19 between countries. Since individualism values personal freedom, people in such cultures would be less likely to make the collective action of staying at home and less likely to support compulsory measures. As a reaction to the public will, governments of individualistic societies would be more hesitant to take compulsory measures, leading to the delay of necessary responses. With processed COVID-19 data that can provide a fair comparison, we find that COVID-19 spread much faster in more individualistic societies than in more collectivistic societies. We further use pronoun drop and absolute latitude as the instruments for IC to address reverse causality and omitted variable bias. The results are robust to different measures. We propose to consider the role of IC not only for understanding the current pandemic but also for thinking about future trends in the world.

Suggested Citation

  • Shuguang Jiang & Qian Wei & Luyao Zhang, 2022. "Individualism Versus Collectivism and the Early-Stage Transmission of COVID-19," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 164(2), pages 791-821, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:soinre:v:164:y:2022:i:2:d:10.1007_s11205-022-02972-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s11205-022-02972-z
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    Cited by:

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    2. Lindskog, Annika & Olsson, Ola, 2023. "Conditional Persistence? Historical Disease Exposure and Government Response to COVID-19," Working Papers in Economics 835, University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics.
    3. Shishir Shakya & Nabamita Dutta, 2024. "How Individualism Influences Female Financial Inclusion through Education: Evidence from Historical Prevalence of Infectious Diseases," Working Papers 24-03, Department of Economics, Appalachian State University.
    4. Shishir Shakya & Nabamita Dutta, 2024. "How Individualism Influences Female Financial Inclusion through Education: Evidence from Historical Prevalence of Infectious Diseases," Working Papers 24-07, Department of Economics, Appalachian State University.

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