Improving compliance with physical distancing across religious cultures in Israel

Autor: Gillie Gabay, Attila Gere, Lior Naamati-Schneider, Howard Moskowitz, Mahdi Tarabieh
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research, Vol 10, Iss 1, Pp 1-12 (2021)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2045-4015
DOI: 10.1186/s13584-021-00501-w
Popis: Abstract Background Physical distancing contains the corona virus, but compliance with physical distancing across religious minorities in Israel has been shown to be relatively poorer than in the majority population. This study tests the power of messages as drivers of willingness to comply with physical distancing across religious minorities in Israel during the first wave of the COVID-19 from March till June 2020. Methods 896 Israeli Muslims, Druze, Bedouins, Jewish Orthodox, Christians, and Jewish Seculars participated in this conjoint-based experimental design. The size of the total sample and of the subgroups is consistent with the suggested size in conjoint analysis studies, particularly when aiming at stability of coefficients rather than stability of means. The dependent variable was ‘willingness to comply’. Independent variables were known contributors to compliance: perceived risk, practices of physical distancing, ways to assure compliance, and the agent communicating the policy. Results A regression analysis indicated minor differences in the power of messages across groups despite dramatic cultural differences amongst them. We identified three distinct mindsets that transcend religious cultures from the responses of the study subjects to various messages and named them “pandemic observers,” “obedient followers,” and “sensitive interpreters.” Compliance of "Pandemic Observers" (n = 306) may be improved by messages such as, “Dangerous virus spreading wildly” and “Health experts suggest what to do but the government is reactive rather than proactive” (β = 14, p
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