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Love Thy Neighbour? Perceived Community Abidance and Private Compliance to COVID-19 Norms in India

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  • Upasak Das
  • Prasenjit Sarkhel
  • Sania Ashraf

Abstract

To arrest the spread of COVID-19 infection, strict adherence to frequent hand washing and respiratory hygiene protocols have been recommended. While these measures involve private effort, they provide health gains along with collective community benefits and hence are likely to be driven by pro-social motives like altruism and reciprocity. Using data from 934 respondents collected from April till May 2020 across India, we assess if changes in perceived community compliance can predict changes in individual compliance behaviour. We observe statistically significant and positive relationship between the two, even after accounting for observable and omitted variable bias allowing us to view the results from a plausible causal lens. Further, we find subsequent lockdowns having a detrimental effect on individual compliance though the gains from higher perceived community compliance seem to offset this loss. We also find positive perceptions about community can be particularly effective for people with pre-existing co-morbidities. Our findings underscore the need for multi-level behavioural interventions involving local actors and community institutions to sustain private compliance during the pandemic. We suggest these interventions need to be specially targeted for individuals with chronic ailments and emphasize on community behavioural practices in public messaging. JEL Codes: I12, I18, I19, I31

Suggested Citation

  • Upasak Das & Prasenjit Sarkhel & Sania Ashraf, 2022. "Love Thy Neighbour? Perceived Community Abidance and Private Compliance to COVID-19 Norms in India," South Asia Economic Journal, Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka, vol. 23(1), pages 30-51, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:soueco:v:23:y:2022:i:1:p:30-51
    DOI: 10.1177/13915614211053928
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    COVID-19; compliance; India; community norms; sustenance; co-morbidity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • I19 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Other
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being

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