scholarly journals The influence of social norms varies with “others” groups: Evidence from COVID-19 vaccination intentions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathaniel Rabb ◽  
Jake Bowers ◽  
David Glick ◽  
Kevin H. Wilson ◽  
David Vincent Yokum
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Norms ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Strong Relationship ◽  
Randomized Experiments ◽  
Real Risk ◽  
Matched Design ◽  
Perceived Social Norms ◽  
City State ◽  
The Relationship

The theory that health behaviors spread through social groups implies that efforts to control the pandemic through vaccination will succeed if people believe that others in their groups are getting vaccinated. But “others” can refer to many (often overlapping) groups, such as one’s family, neighborhood, city, state, or political party. These distinctions and their relationship to behavior are understudied in the social norms and public health literature. One challenge to studying them is that many factors may confound making inferences from observed relationships between perceived social norms (what people believe others do) and intended behaviors (what people themselves will do) because there are often plausible common causes for both. For example, vaccination intentions and perceptions of one’s social group’s intentions could both increase with age, since age is a known COVID-19 risk factor and people may know more people in their own age groups. We address these issues by applying a matched design that approximates pair-randomized experiments to survey data collected in the US during late fall 2020 (N = 890) and spring 2021 (N = 996). We find that a strong relationship between perceived vaccination social norms and vaccination intentions remains when controlling for a host of real risk factors as well as dimensions known to predict COVID-19 preventive behaviors even though they are not associated with risk. The strength of the relationship declines as the queried social group grows larger and more heterogeneous. The relationship for co-partisans is second in magnitude to that of family and friends among Republicans but undetectable for Democrats. Sensitivity analysis shows that these relationships could be explained away only by an unmeasured variable with large effects on both social norms perceptions and vaccination intentions (odds ratios between two and nineteen times), and a prediction from the false consensus interpretation that intentions cause perceived social norms is not supported. We discuss the implications for public health policy and understanding social norms.

The Comparison of Susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 Infection between Pediatric and Adults

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milad Zandi ◽  
Saber Soltani ◽  
Mona Fani ◽  
Haniye Shafipour ◽  
Samaneh Abbasi
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Severe Illness ◽  
Converting Enzyme ◽  
Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 ◽  
The World ◽  
Smoking Susceptibility ◽  
The Relationship

SARS-CoV-2 causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and is responsible for the recent pandemic in the world. It has been recently recognized as a challenge for public health and a significant cause of severe illness in all age groups. Young children and older people are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, children usually present mild symptoms compared to adult patients. The relationship between age, severity, and COVID-19 transmission is compared to determine whether there is any reasonable relationship between age and COVID-19. It should be mentioned that some risk factors may increase the probability of developing severe COVID-19 by advancing age, such as pathophysiological changes in the respiratory system, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 expression in the nasopharynx, and smoking. Susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection is independent of age, but the mortality rate of COVID-19 depends on age.

scholarly journals Why Do People (Not) Engage in Social Distancing? Proximate and Ultimate Analyses of Norm-Following During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
James O. Norton ◽  
Kortnee C. Evans ◽  
Ayten Yesim Semchenko ◽  
Laith Al-Shawaf ◽  
David M. G. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Norms ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Preliminary Investigation ◽  
Political Leaders ◽  
Public Health Organizations ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Perceived Social Norms ◽  
The Impact

COVID-19 has had a profound negative effect on many aspects of human life. While pharmacological solutions are being developed and implemented, the onus of mitigating the impact of the virus falls, in part, on individual citizens and their adherence to public health guidelines. However, promoting adherence to these guidelines has proven challenging. There is a pressing need to understand the factors that influence people’s adherence to these guidelines in order to improve public compliance. To this end, the current study investigated whether people’s perceptions of others’ adherence predict their own adherence. We also investigated whether any influence of perceived social norms was mediated by perceptions of the moral wrongness of non-adherence, anticipated shame for non-adherence, or perceptions of disease severity. One hundred fifty-two Australians participated in our study between June 6, 2020 and August 21, 2020. Findings from this preliminary investigation suggest that (1) people match their behavior to perceived social norms, and (2) this is driven, at least in part, by people using others’ behavior as a cue to the severity of disease threat. Such findings provide insight into the proximate and ultimate bases of norm-following behavior, and shed preliminary light on public health-related behavior in the context of a pandemic. Although further research is needed, the results of this study—which suggest that people use others’ behavior as a cue to how serious the pandemic is and as a guide for their own behavior—could have important implications for public health organizations, social movements, and political leaders and the role they play in the fight against epidemics and pandemics.

scholarly journals Group identification as a moderator of the relationship between perceived social norms and alcohol consumption.

2010 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 522-528 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clayton Neighbors ◽  
Joseph W. LaBrie ◽  
Justin F. Hummer ◽  
Melissa A. Lewis ◽  
Christine M. Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Social Norms ◽  
Group Identification ◽  
Perceived Social Norms ◽  
The Relationship

scholarly journals Perceived Social Norms and Agripreneurial Intention among Youths in Eastern DRC

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3442
Author(s):  
Akilimali Ndatabaye Ephrem ◽  
Paul Martin Dontsop Nguezet ◽  
McEdward Murimbika ◽  
Zoumana Bamba ◽  
Victor Manyong
Keyword(s):  
Social Norms ◽  
Educational Level ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Psychological Capital ◽  
Equation Modelling ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
Perceived Social Norms ◽  
Productivity Potential ◽  
The Relationship

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is a country with a high agricultural productivity potential; however, the agribusiness sector remains unattractive to youths. This study examined the extent to which perceived social norms and psychological capital affect youths’ intentions to pursue agribusiness opportunities in the Eastern DRC. Data was collected on a sample of 600 youths. We applied Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS−SEM) in order to examine the relationship between the variables. The findings indicated that most of the youths did not select agribusiness as their top career choice. The intention to engage in agribusiness activities was significantly higher among the youths who perceived that agribusiness was socially valued and supported. Psychological capital significantly and positively affects youths’ agripreneurial intention. The findings contribute to the underlying Theory of Planned Behavior by supporting a positive mediation role of psychological capital—and the moderating roles of educational level, gender, access to land, and location—on the relationship between perceived social norms and agripreneurial intention. The paper concludes that the provision of funds is not enough to promote youth agripreneurship in an environment in which agricultural-related social norms, youths’ psychological capital, gender, access to land, educational level, and location (rural versus urban) are not thoroughly considered.

scholarly journals Are happy people healthier? An instrumental variable approach using data from Greece

2018 ◽  
Vol 72 (12) ◽  
pp. 1153-1161
Author(s):  
Ilias Kyriopoulos ◽  
Kostas Athanasakis ◽  
John Kyriopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Instrumental Variable ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Strong Relationship ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Variable Approach ◽  
Socioeconomic Strata ◽  
The Relationship

BackgroundFrom a theoretical perspective, several studies indicate that happiness and health are—in some extent—interrelated. Despite the mechanisms explaining the relationship between happiness and health, there is still no consensus regarding this link. Using recently collected primary data, this study aims to examine the relationship between happiness and health, and identify potential heterogeneity in the association depending on socioeconomic status (SES).MethodsThis study draws on data from a nationally representative cross-sectional survey, conducted by the Greek National School of Public Health in 2015. We applied an instrumental variable (IV) approach to address the endogeneity, arising from the simultaneous determination of happiness and health. Controlling for several confounders (ie, socioeconomic, demographic, lifestyle, social capital variables) we employed several IV models, including two-stage least squares, IV probit and bivariate probit models.ResultsWe report strong evidence of a relationship between happiness and health. This association remains strong after correcting for endogeneity, and is robust across different specifications. Further, we find a positive relationship between happiness and self-rated health (SRH) for low educated, but not for high educated. Similarly, we find a strong relationship between happiness and health for the lower socioeconomic strata, but not for the higher ones.ConclusionsOverall, we show that happiness is positively associated with health. Further, happiness significantly influences SRH in low-SES individuals, but this association wanes for the higher socioeconomic strata. This finding has significant implications for health promotion, prevention and public health, and suggests that policymakers have a wider array of choices for improving health and tackling health inequalities.

scholarly journals “If they believe, then so shall I”: Perceived beliefs of the in-group predict conspiracy theory belief

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 759-782
Author(s):  
Darel Cookson ◽  
Daniel Jolley ◽  
Robert C. Dempsey ◽  
Rachel Povey
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Social Norms ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Conspiracy Theory ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
Parent Sample ◽  
Perceived Social Norms ◽  
The Relationship

Conspiracy beliefs are widespread and can have detrimental consequences. As perceived social norms can exert a powerful influence on individuals, we investigated the relationship between perceived conspiracy belief norms and personal endorsement, and whether others’ conspiracy belief is overestimated. In Study 1, UK university students ( N = 111) completed measures of their personal conspiracy beliefs and estimations of others’ beliefs (an in-group and an out-group they chose, and a prescribed in-group). Perceived in-groups’ belief strongly predicted personal conspiracy belief; perceived out-group’s belief did not. Studies 2 and 3 replicated these findings in a British community sample ( N = 177) and in a UK parent sample ( N = 197), focusing on antivaccine conspiracy theories. All studies demonstrated that people overestimate the conspiracy beliefs of others. This is the first demonstration of the association between perceived in-group conspiracy belief social norms and individuals’ personal conspiracy beliefs. Interventions challenging misperceived norms could be effective in reducing conspiracy beliefs.

The impact of belongingness and graphic-based emoticon usage motives on emoticon purchase intentions for MIM: an analysis of Korean KakaoTalk users

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bohee Jung ◽  
Hanku Kim ◽  
Seung Hwan (Shawn) Lee
Keyword(s):  
Social Norms ◽  
Peer Review ◽  
Purchase Intentions ◽  
Perceived Usefulness ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Perceived Acceptance ◽  
Perceived Enjoyment ◽  
Perceived Social Norms ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeAlthough graphic-based emoticons in mobile instant messenger (MIM) services became an important revenue source for their service provider, empirical research investigating factors influencing graphic-based emoticon purchase from the consumer's perspective is insufficient. The authors explore how user's achieved belongingness (acceptance or rejection) affects graphic based emoticon usage motivations and its purchase intentions.Design/methodology/approachA structural model is used to examine the relationship among individual's overall achieved belongingness, motivation factors of graphic-based emoticon usage in MIM such as perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, perceived enjoyment for others, social norm and emoticon purchase intentions. The authors collected and analyzed survey data of 279 Korean KakaoTalk users.FindingsThe analysis shows that perceived acceptance/inclusion positively impacts perceived usefulness, enjoyment and enjoyment of others in graphic-based emoticon usage. Meanwhile, perceived rejection/exclusion positively impacts perceived enjoyment and enjoyment of others but negatively influences perceived social norms. Moreover, social norms and perceived enjoyment directly affect graphic-based emoticon purchase intentions. The authors also find that perceived enjoyment of others and perceived social norms in a serial causal order mediate the relationship between perceived acceptance/inclusion (and rejection/exclusion) and emoticon purchase intentions.Research limitations/implicationsAdditional research including users from other demographic groups, such as other age groups, is required to generalize our findings and to increase external validity.Originality/valueUnique implications related to the role of user's achieved belongingness and perceived enjoyment of others in graphic-based emoticon usage in purchase intentions are found.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/ 10.1108/OIR-02-2020-0036

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