Understanding Non-compliance with Prevention Measures against COVID-19 Infections in Germany (U-Comply) - Full version

The U-COMPLY project is a 3-wave panel study funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) with the purpose to understand non-compliance to the COVID-19 regulations in Germany. The study was conducted by Bilendi & respondi. In the survey period from April to September 2022, the German population aged between 18 and 75 years was asked about their compliance patterns, their perception of norms and compliance by others in their social network in online interviews (CASI) with a focus on adherence to the COVID-19 regulations. In addition, the survey explored possible antecedents of such behavior (e.g., self-control, perceived susceptibility and severity of infection, expected sanctions in case of non-adherence, vaccination status, immunization status, self-reported knowledge about COVID-19, information frequency, risk-group membership, contact with vulnerable individuals, conspiracy beliefs, political orientation) and conducted several vignette survey experiments. The respondents were selected using a quota sample from an online access panel from Bilendi & respondi. Wave 1: Fear of unemployment or not finding a new job; frequency of reception of information about the current corona situation in the region (via news and social contacts); self-reported knowledge about symptoms and effects of COVID-19; probability of (renewed) corona infection in general or without preventive measures; belonging to a risk group regarding corona infection or severe course; contact with people who belong to a risk group regarding corona infection or of a severe course; perceived threat in connection with the coronavirus (when I think about the coronavirus, I feel threatened, I am afraid of the coronavirus, I am not afraid of the coronavirus, I am worried that I or people I love could get sick from the coronavirus, I am stressed around other people because I am afraid that I could catch the coronavirus); number of personally known people who have died from coronavirus; effectiveness of various measures against the spread of coronavirus (move meetings outside, limit the number of people at private meetings, require coronavirus testing before private meetings, 3G rule: be fully vaccinated or recovered or test negative); frequency of compliance with various recommendations and guidelines against the spread of coronavirus in the last six weeks (keep your distance where this is mandatory, wear mouth and nose protection where mandatory, observe hygiene rules (e.g. hand disinfection), use the official coronavirus warning app, regularly ventilate rooms where others are present, voluntary coronavirus testing, e.g. before meetings with others, reduce social contacts); non-compliance with requirements (not taking a corona test where it was mandatory, using a foreign or falsified or expired corona test result, buying a foreign or falsified vaccination certificate, deliberately trying to infect another person with corona); personal moral standards for rule violations (generally violating the corona measures, not wearing a face mask where it is mandatory, not taking a corona test where it is mandatory); moral standards of the social environment: number of people who have generally violated the corona measures, not worn a face mask or not taken a corona test where it was mandatory; probability of being caught and reported for general violations of the corona measures and for not wearing a face mask or not taking a corona test where it is mandatory; estimated severity of sanctions for general violations of the corona measures and for not wearing a face mask or not taking a corona test where it is mandatory; expected consequences in the event of a corona infection (jeopardizing career/studies, severe health impairments, long-term health problems (e.g. long Covid, death, accusations from others, severe impairment of social relationships); attitude towards corona vaccination; immunization status: vaccination status, infection with the coronavirus, severity of symptoms, validity period of the recovered certificate; social relationships: talked to others about important things in the last six months (waves 1 and 3); up to seven people named with whom important things have been discussed in the last six months; corona infection of the respective person and symptoms (waves 1 and 3); personality: self-control (impulsiveness: I usually don´t put much thought and effort into preparing for my future, I don´t worry much about the future, I often act spontaneously without thinking long, I get bored quickly, willingness to take risks: Sometimes I take risks just for fun, sometimes I find it exciting to do things that could be dangerous, temperament: When I´m really angry, others had better leave me alone, I lose my temper pretty quickly); attitude towards migration in light of the pandemic; accepted amount of immigrants from different groups of people (immigrants who belong to the same ethnic group as the majority of Germans, immigrants who belong to a different ethnic group than the majority of Germans, immigrants who come from the poorer countries within Europe, immigrants who come from the poorer countries outside Europe); political orientation left-right. Additionally in the full version: Wave 1: Attitudes, social norms, perceived behavioral control and behavior in relation to risk contacts with confirmed infected case: evaluation of precautionary measures after a risk contact (corona test, reduce contacts, voluntary quarantine); expectations of the social environment after a risk contact (corona test, reduce contacts, voluntary quarantine); feeling of being able to do the following after a risk contact: Corona test, reduce contacts, voluntary quarantine); personal behavior after a risk contact; Vignette experiment: respondents were shown pictures of WhatsApp messages with the experimentally varied text (e.g. presence of members of a risk group) to measure reactions towards others in the event of non-compliance with a corona test requested by the host before a private birthday party (threat, impact; arousal, realization and reaction); Vignette experiment on the model of health beliefs: the respondents were shown pictures of WhatsApp messages with the experimentally varied text on the probability of attending a party with different protective measures and infection with corona at this party; ever violated the obligation to isolate during a corona infection; behavior when violating the obligation to isolate (walking, shopping, other (open naming); personal moral standards when violating the obligation to isolate in general or to go for a walk and to go shopping; moral standards of the social environment: proportion of people in the social environment who have violated the obligation to isolate in general or the proportion of people in the social environment who have violated the isolation requirement in general or to go for a walk and to go shopping; probability of sanctions for violations of the isolation requirement in general or to go for a walk and to go shopping; severity of punishment for violations of the isolation requirement in general or to go for a walk and to go shopping; willingness to violate the isolation requirement in general or to go for a walk and to go shopping; Self-centered measurement method for COVID-related behavior of close persons: Frequency of violation of corona protection measures by said persons; Vignette experiment on the purchase of fake vaccination certificates with different attributes on moral norms, financial costs, trust in the delivery of the vaccination certificate, the level of punishment and the risk of detection; Vignette experiment to assess different attitudes towards rule violations due to discrimination against visible minorities (with different attributes on gender and ethnicity); Vignette experiment on dismissals for operational reasons in a medium-sized company for non-compliance with workplace regulations (different attributes on name, gender, age, employment in the company, formal criteria on work quality and quantity, other characteristics such as social skills, family relationships in the company and other information regarding COVID-19 vaccination (refusal to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or full COVID-19 vaccination). Wave 2: Fear of unemployment or not finding a new job; frequency of reception of information about the current coronavirus situation in the region (via news and social contacts); probability of a (renewed) coronavirus infection in general or without preventive measures; belonging to a risk group with regard to a coronavirus infection or a severe course; contact with people who belong to a risk group with regard to a coronavirus infection or regarding a severe course; perceived threat in connection with the coronavirus (when I think about the coronavirus, I feel threatened, I am afraid of the coronavirus, I am not afraid of the coronavirus, I am worried that I or people I love could get sick from the coronavirus, I am stressed around other people because I am afraid that I could catch the coronavirus); Number of people I know personally who have died from coronavirus; assessment of the effectiveness of various measures against the spread of coronavirus (keeping your distance where this is mandatory, wearing a face mask where this is mandatory, observing hygiene rules (e.g. hand disinfection)). e.g. hand disinfection), use the official corona warning app for contact tracing, regularly ventilate rooms where others are present, voluntary corona test e.g. before meeting others, reduce social contacts); COVID-specific self-efficacy with regard to the aforementioned actions; frequency of compliance with the various recommendations and guidelines against the spread of corona in the last six weeks; overfulfillment of the regulations since various corona measures have been lifted completely or in certain situations (keep your distance even where this is not prescribed, wear mouth and nose protection even where this is not prescribed (e.g. in the supermarket, avoid public transport and airplanes, avoid leisure activities where many people could meet in closed rooms (e.g. in restaurants, cinemas), meet as few other people as possible, take care of my immune system through my diet (e.g. by keeping a strong immune system). in restaurants, cinemas), meet as few other people as possible, ensure a strong immune system through my diet (e.g. by taking vitamin D) to protect myself from corona disease or its effects, to monitor my health to see if I might have signs of corona infection, to use apps on my smartphone, to work/study from home even if this is no longer mandatory); personal morals in case of rule violations (generally violating the corona measures, not wearing a mouth and nose protector where it is mandatory, not taking a corona test where it is mandatory); moral norms of the social environment: Number of people who have generally violated the corona measures, have not worn a mouth-nose cover or have not taken a corona test where it was prescribed); probability of sanctions for general violations of the corona measures and for not wearing a mouth-nose cover or not taking a corona test where it is prescribed; estimated severity of sanctions for general violations of the corona measures and for not wearing a mouth-nose cover or not taking a corona test where it is prescribed; expected consequences in the event of a corona infection (endangering career/study, severe health impairments, long-term health problems (e.g. long expected consequences in the event of a corona infection (jeopardizing career/studies, severe health impairments, long-term health problems (e.g. long Covid), death, reproaches from others, severe impairment of social relationships); attitude towards corona vaccination; immunization status: vaccination status, infection with the coronavirus, severity of symptoms, validity period of the recovered certificate; frequency of participation in protest events against corona measures or the vaccination obligation; self-assessment of empathy (given response option on various items); self-control in conflicts with own moral principles (No matter how tempting a situation is, I remain steadfast and do not react to it, despite a favorable opportunity to get something valuable, I manage to remain true to my principles regardless of what personal benefits I may have, I make decisions according to my moral principles, no matter how much others try to persuade me to do something, I remain steadfast and do not react, even if many people act differently from me, I manage to remain true to my principles, regardless of what others say or do, I make decisions according to my moral principles). Additionally in the full version: Wave 2: Attitudes, social norms, perceived behavioral control and behavior in relation to risk contacts with confirmed infected case: Frequency of information from one or more persons about risk contacts in the last six weeks; behavior after being informed about risk contacts (one or more corona tests (e.g. (e.g. rapid tests or PCR tests); behavior after being informed about the contact person´s positive test (contacts reduced in the following days, self-isolation in the following days after own positive or negative test); violated the isolation obligation in the last six weeks during own corona infection; violation of the isolation obligation: I went for a walk, I went shopping, other - open); personal morals in case of violations of the isolation obligation in general or to go for a walk and to go shopping; moral norms of the social environment: estimated proportion of people in the social environment who have generally violated the isolation obligation or to go for a walk and to go shopping; probability of sanctions for violations of the isolation obligation in general or to go for a walk and to go shopping; severity of the punishment for violations of the isolation obligation in general or to go for a walk and to go shopping; willingness to violate the isolation obligation in general or to go for a walk and to go shopping; Ego-centered measurement method of COVID-related behavior of close people with different opinions on the COVID vaccine: do not know anyone with a different opinion on the corona vaccine; naming of up to seven people whose opinion on the subject of corona vaccination differs from your own; change in contact with the respective person due to the different opinions on the subject of corona vaccination; Vignette experiment on avoiding and breaking off contact in the event of differing opinions on the subject of coronavirus vaccination (avoiding confrontation, canceling meetings or breaking off contact). Vignette experiment on the topic of immigration: Attitude towards a person who fled to Germany and was infected with corona shortly after arrival (different attributes regarding gender, age, country of origin, education and behavior regarding the obligation to isolate) with regard to the right to stay, work permit, equal rights as German citizens and acceptance of this person in the neighborhood. Wave 3: Fear of unemployment or not finding a new job; frequency of reception of information about the current corona situation in the region (via news and social contacts); self-reported knowledge about symptoms and effects of COVID-19; probability of (renewed) corona infection in general or without preventive measures; belonging to a risk group regarding corona infection or severe course; contact with people who belong to a risk group regarding corona infection or severe course; perceived threat in connection with the coronavirus (when I think about the coronavirus, I feel threatened, I am afraid of the coronavirus, I am not afraid of the coronavirus, I am worried that I or people I love could get sick from the coronavirus, I am stressed around other people because I am afraid that I could catch the coronavirus); number of people I know personally who have died from coronavirus; effectiveness of various measures against the spread of corona (keeping distance where prescribed, wearing mouth and nose protection where prescribed, observing hygiene rules (e.g. hand disinfection), using the official corona warning app for contact tracing, regular ventilation of rooms in which others are also present, voluntary corona test e.g. before meeting others, reducing social contacts); COVID-specific self-efficacy with regard to the aforementioned actions; frequency of compliance with the various recommendations and guidelines against the spread of corona; overfulfillment of the regulations since various corona measures have been lifted completely or in certain situations (keep your distance even where it is not prescribed, wear a face mask even where it is not prescribed (e.g. in the supermarket), avoid public transport and airplanes, avoid leisure activities where many people could meet in closed rooms (e.g. in restaurants, cinemas), meet as few other people as possible, ensure a strong immune system through my diet (e.g. by taking vitamin D) to protect myself from corona disease or its effects, to monitor my health to see if I might have signs of a corona infection, use apps on my smartphone, work/study from home, even if this is no longer mandatory); personal morals in case of rule violations (generally violating the corona measures, not wearing a mouth-nose cover or, not taking a corona test where it is mandatory); moral norms of the social environment (number of people who generally violated the corona measures, did not wear a mouth-nose cover where it was mandatory, did not take a corona test where it was mandatory); probability of sanctions for general violations of the corona measures or for not wearing a mouth-nose cover and not taking a corona test where it is prescribed; estimated severity of sanctions for general violations of the corona measures or for not wearing a mouth-nose cover and not taking a corona test where it is prescribed; expected consequences in the event of corona infection (jeopardizing career/studies, severe health impairments, long-term health problems (e.g. long Covid, death, reproaches from others, severe impairment of social relationships); attitude towards corona vaccination; immunization status: vaccination status, infection with coronavirus, severe symptoms, death, reproaches from others, severe impairment of social relationships). expected consequences in case of corona infection (endangering career/study, long-term health problems (e.g. long Covid), death, accusations from others, severe impairment of social relationships); attitude towards corona vaccination; immunization status: vaccination status, infection with the coronavirus, severity of symptoms, validity period of the recovered certificate; social relationships: talked to others about important things in the last 6 months (waves 1 and 3); up to seven people named with whom important things were discussed in the last 6 months; corona infection of the respective person and symptoms; personality: Preference for affect- and cognition-based decision making (Before I make decisions, I usually think carefully first, before I make decisions, I usually think about the goals I want to achieve first, I take apart the hard facts and details of a problem before I make a decision, I prefer to draw conclusions based on my feelings, knowledge of human nature and life experience, feelings play a big role in my decisions, I am a very intuitive person); self-control in conflicts with my own moral principles (No matter how tempting a situation is, I remain steadfast and do not react to it, despite a favorable opportunity to get something valuable, I manage to remain true to my principles, regardless of what personal benefits I may have, I make decisions according to my moral principles, no matter how much others try to persuade me to do something, I remain steadfast and do not react, even if many people act differently from me, I manage to remain true to my principles, regardless of what others say or do, I make decisions according to my moral principles); conspiracy allegations about Corona (The whole truth about Corona is being withheld from the public, people need to wake up and start asking questions about Corona, legitimate questions about Corona are being suppressed by the government, media and academia, reporters, scientists and government officials are involved in a conspiracy to hide important information about Corona, an impartial, independent investigation into Corona would show once and for all that we have been lied to on a grand scale); Participation in protest events against the Corona measures or the vaccination obligation; participation in counter-events to these Corona demonstrations. Additionally in the full version: Wave 3: Attitudes, social norms, perceived behavioral control and behavior in relation to risk contacts with confirmed infected case: frequency of information by one or more persons about risk contacts in the last six weeks; behavior after being informed about risk contacts (one or more corona tests (e.g. rapid tests or PCR tests) made; behavior after being informed about the positive test of the contact person (contacts reduced in the following days, self-isolation in the following days after own positive or negative test); violated the isolation requirement in the last six weeks during own corona infection; violation of the isolation requirement: I went for a walk, I went shopping, other - open); personal moral standards for violations of the isolation requirement in general or to go for a walk and to go shopping; moral standards of the social environment: estimated proportion of people in the social environment who generally violated the isolation requirement or to go for a walk and to go shopping; probability of sanctions for violations of the isolation obligation in general or to go for a walk and to go shopping; severity of punishment for violations of the isolation obligation in general or to go for a walk and to go shopping; willingness to violate the isolation obligation in general or to go for a walk and to go shopping; Self-centered measurement method for COVID-related behavior of loved ones: Frequency of violation of the corona protection measures by the persons mentioned. Vignette experiment on trust in scientists with regard to possible corona measures in the fall with different attributes of gender, expertise, integrity and benevolence. Vignette experiment on the different perception of the severity of COVID-19-related offenses based on the gender and ethnicity of the offenders. Demography: sex; age (categories); federal state; education: highest school-leaving qualification; highest vocational training qualification; employment status; ethnicity: country of birth of the respondent and their parents; Waves 2 and 3 additionally: number of people in the household; number of children under 14 in the household; household income (classified); additionally in the full version: age; age categories (corrected). Additionally coded were: Survey ID; data protection information read; time in seconds on different pages (response time); consent to participate in the survey; age categories (corrected); education rate low, medium, high; education rate corrected; confidence in the anonymity of the responses; relative duration of the completion of the survey; date and time of the start of the survey; date and time of the last access to the survey; weighting factors; Waves 2 and 3 additionally: change in value of household income during data preparation; participation in wave 2 or wave 3; additionally in the full version: randomization to multiple-choice questions or open answers in the vignette experiment; combination of all numerical variables of a vignette; NUTS-2 regions; NUTS-2 regions corrected.