Individual Differences in Compliance with Covid-19 Containment Measures in V4 Countries

Abstract

The present study corroborates the role of personality in predicting adherence to containment measures in the Visegrád Four countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia) with a total sample of N = 7463 participants. The Big-five traits predicted compliance both directly and indirectly, via concerns over coronavirus and trust in organizations. Openness, Conscientiousness, and Extraversion predicted compliance positively, while Neuroticism and Agreeableness negatively. Furthermore, the effect was mediated by corona concerns. Although Agreeableness, Neuroticism, Openness, and Conscientiousness predicted compliance negatively, the mediating role of trust was corroborated only for Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism and the effect size was smaller. The implications are that personality could be considered an important factor in compliant behavior even in an "extreme" situation such as a pandemic, and that this effect is also indirect via concerns over coronavirus and trust in institutions (although to a much lesser degree). The findings might help practitioners tailor effective messages in times of pandemic.