A worldwide assessment of changes in adherence to COVID-19 protective behaviours and hypothesized pandemic fatigue

TLDR

The COVID‑19 pandemic’s persistence has sparked global concern about pandemic fatigue. The study investigates whether adherence to COVID‑19 protective behaviours declined gradually from March to December 2020, as expected under pandemic fatigue. The authors analysed self‑reported protective behaviours from 14 representative national samples (N = 238,797) and combined these with mobility and policy data from 124 countries. Adherence changes were empirically meaningful and geographically widespread; mask wearing increased linearly, while physical distancing declined but slowed over time with minor rebounds, with similar reductions across societal groups but less intense in high‑trust countries, and alternative mechanisms and policy implications were discussed.

Abstract

As the COVID-19 pandemic lingers, the possibility of 'pandemic fatigue' has raised worldwide concerns. Here, we examine whether there was a gradual reduction in adherence to protective behaviours against COVID-19 from March through December 2020, as hypothesized in expectations of fatigue. We considered self-report behaviours from representative samples of the populations of 14 countries (N = 238,797), as well as mobility and policy data for 124 countries. Our results show that changes in adherence were empirically meaningful and geographically widespread. While a low-cost and habituating behaviour (mask wearing) exhibited a linear rise in adherence, high-cost and sensitizing behaviours (physical distancing) declined, but this decline decelerated over time, with small rebounds seen in later months. Reductions in adherence to physical distancing showed little difference across societal groups, but were less intense in countries with high interpersonal trust. Alternative underlying mechanisms and policy implications are discussed.