Impact of national culture on the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic

Yasheng Chen; Mohammad Islam Biswas

doi:10.1007/s12144-022-02906-5

Impact of national culture on the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic

Curr Psychol. 2022 Feb 24:1-14. doi: 10.1007/s12144-022-02906-5. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Yasheng Chen¹, Mohammad Islam Biswas^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Accounting, Xiamen University, Xiamen , China.
² Institute of Financial and Accounting Studies, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
³ Department of Accounting, Bangladesh University of Business and Technology (BUBT), Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Abstract

This study examines how cultural differences can affect the transmission of COVID-19 in different countries. From a sample of 92 countries, we used cross-country data based on Hofstede's cultural dimensions to investigate the impact of culture on COVID-19 transmission. We found a significant impact of culture on the spread of COVID-19. Specifically, this study reveals that individualism, masculinity, and uncertainty avoidance have a positive impact on confirmed COVID-19 cases. The relationships between cultural differences and the total number of COVID-19 deaths were also positive. This study provides valuable insights into the influences that national culture could have on the effectiveness of responses to a similar global pandemic situation in the future.

Keywords: COVID-19; Hofstede; National culture; Transmission outcomes.