Can psychological traits explain mobility behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Arbeitspapier

The current COVID-19 pandemic is a global exogenous shock, impacting individuals' decision making and behaviour allowing researchers to test theories of personality by exploring how traits, in conjunction with individual and societal differences affect compliance and cooperation. Study 1 used Google Mobility data and nation-level personality data from 31 countries, both before and after region-specific legislative interventions, finding that agreeable nations are most consistently compliant with mobility restrictions. Study 2 (N= 105,857) replicated these findings using individual-level data, showing that several personality traits predict sheltering in place behavior, but extraverts are especially likely to remain mobile. Overall, our analyses reveal robust relationships between traits and regulatory compliance (mobility behaviour) both before and after region specific legislative interventions, and the global declaration of the pandemic. Further, we find significant effects on reasons for leaving home, as well as age and gender differences, particularly relating to female agreeableness for previous and future social mobility behaviours.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: CREMA Working Paper ; No. 2020-08

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft
• Subject: BIG 5 personality traits ; COVID19 ; social mobility ; Google mobility data

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Chan, Ho Fai ; Moon, Jordan ; Savage, David ; Skali, Ahmed ; Torgler, Benno ; Whyte, Stephen
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts (CREMA)
• (where): Zürich
• (when): 2020

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/225550
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:42 AM CET