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.
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
6-1-2022
Volume
46
Issue
3
PubMed ID
34941006
Publication Title
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health
Publisher
Wiley
School
School of Arts and Humanities
RAS ID
42649
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
First Page
304
Last Page
306
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