Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Title
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health
Volume
46
Issue
3
First Page
304
Last Page
306
PubMed ID
34941006
Publisher
Wiley
School
School of Arts and Humanities
RAS ID
42649
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.
DOI
10.1111/1753-6405.13195
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Comments
Leviston, Z., Stanley, S. K., & Walker, I. (2022). Australians underestimate social compliance with coronavirus restrictions: Findings from a national survey. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 46(3), 304-306. https://doi.org/10.1111/1753-6405.13195