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When are people most likely to follow Covid-19 rules?

19 Feb 2021

When it comes to pandemic restrictions, we are more likely to follow the example of our friends rather than our own principles, shows Ophelia Deroy.

“Social apps like running apps – where people can see that others have registered for the vaccine against the coronavirus or have received the first shot – might improve compliance with Covid-19 rules,” says Ophelia Deroy, Professor of Philosophy of Mind and Neuroscience at LMU. "Public policies are on the wrong track: We see scientists and politicians trying to boost the public's approval of the measures, so that vaccination campaigns and lockdowns get the support of the citizens, but approval does not mean compliance. You may make up your own mind about the measures, or listen to experts. But eventually, what you do, depends on what your close friends do."

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1:12 | 19 Feb 2021

Ophelia Deroy's findings are part of an empirical survey. The paper "Social influence matters: We follow pandemic guidelines most when our close circle does” was published in the British Journal of Psychology

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