Socio-demographic, social, cognitive, and emotional correlates of adherence to physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study

Gouin, Jean-Philippe; MacNeil, Sasha; Switzer, Andrew; Carrese-Chacra, Emily; Durif, Fabien; Knäuper, Bärbel

OBJECTIVES: In order for physical distancing directives to be effective at lowering and flattening the epidemic peak during a pandemic, individuals must adhere to confinement guidelines. Recent reviews highlight the paucity of research on empirical correlates of adherence to physical distancing and quarantine directives. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 1003 individuals were recruited using quota sampling to form a sample approximately representative of the population of Quebec (Canada) in terms of age, gender, and urbanicity. Participants completed an online survey on adherence to physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. This survey evaluated socio-demographic, health, cognitive, emotional, and social factors related to physical distancing. RESULTS: Individuals aged 70 and older (OR = 1.67, 95% CI = 1.04–2.67), women (OR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.02–1.79), and those who were not essential workers (OR = 3.28, 95% CI = 2.24–4.81) reported more physical distancing. Injunctive personal norms (OR = 1.67, 95% CI = 1.23–2.31), perceived benefits of physical distancing to others (OR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.12–1.93), and descriptive social norms (OR = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.04–1.52) were independent predictors of adherence status. Individuals adhered more to physical distancing if they believed that it was their civic duty to do so and that physical distancing helped protect others, and if they perceived that most other people were following these directives. In contrast, perceived personal risk and emotional factors were not independently related to physical distancing. CONCLUSION: These results highlight the importance of health beliefs and perceived social norms in shaping responses to physical distancing directives. These findings offer insights into ways to frame public health communications to promote physical distancing during a pandemic.