Community-minded areas more likely to see high mask usage

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-05-21 10:30

International

Community minded people and regions have been more likely to wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a US and Chinese study. Using two sets of data combining previous research on mask usage and the collectivism or individualism within different US states, the researchers found mask usage was higher in areas prone to collectivist thinking in both studies. In a third study, the researchers used similar data from 29 countries and found the same association between collectivism and mask-wearing.

Media release

From: PNAS

Collectivistic culture and mask use during COVID-19

Using data from a study of 248,941 people in all 50 US states, a study of 16,737 people in all 50 US states, a study of 367,109 people in 29 countries, and a study of 277,219 Facebook users in 67 countries, researchers report that people in collectivistic cultures were more likely than those in individualistic cultures to wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the role of culture in people's response to crises.

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Research PNAS, Web page

Journal/
conference: PNAS

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

Funder: No funding declared.

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