Social influence may induce people to follow Covid rules

London, Jan 21 : People are more likely to follow Covid-19 restrictions based on what their friends do, rather than their own principles, a new study suggests.
The findings indicated that the best predictor of people’s compliance to the rules was how much their close circle complied with the rules, which had an even stronger effect than people’s own approval of the rules.
“Using social media to demonstrate to your friends that you are following the rules, rather than expressing outrage at people who aren’t following them could also be a more impactful approach,” said researcher Bahar Tuncgenc from the University of Nottingham in the UK.
For the study, published in British Journal of Psychology, the research team investigated the role that social networks might play in preventing the spread of Covid-19.
The team asked people from over 100 countries how much they, and their close social circle, approved of and followed the Covid-19 rules currently in place in their area.
The researchers found that people didn’t simply follow the rules if they felt vulnerable or were personally convinced. Most diligent followers of the guidelines were those whose friends and family also followed the rules.