As if financial uncertainties and fears of job losses being faced by workers due to the pandemic were not enough, US researchers now claim that such worries can also lead to less inclination to follow Covid-19 guidelines, upping the risk factors for them. A study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology suggests that measures such as physical distancing, limiting trips from home and washing hands, are less likely to be followed by workers experiencing job and financial insecurity.
A scarcity mindset can play a role in how well people are able to focus on responding to the pandemic, it maintained. “The extent to which economic stressors will impact that behaviour is in part a function of where we live,” stated study author Tahira Probst from Washington State University in the United States.
“Having a fall back, a strong safety net to catch you, seemed to help mitigate the risk factors of job insecurity that was otherwise associated with less adherence to the guidelines,” Probst added. The researchers surveyed 745 workers in 43 states. The findings highlight that state unemployment benefits and pandemic policies affected the connection between economic concerns and compliance with Covid-19 precautions.
In States with lower unemployment benefits, job insecurity was associated with a seven per cent decline in compliance with Covid-19 prevention behaviours.
State-imposed Covid-19 measures had a positive effect on compliance, but seemed to mostly benefit financially secure workers.
In States that had fewer restrictions on behaviour that could spread the disease, workers were less likely to follow the recommendations of health authorities, Irrespective of whether the respondents were financially secure or not.
However, in States with a stronger response, including measures such as stay-at-home orders and shutting down non-essential businesses, financially secure employees had 13 per cent higher enactment of the prevention behaviours compared to workers who felt more financially insecure.
These differences could have significant public health ramifications, The authors of the study claim, as research suggests that even modest reductions in social contacts among adults can reduce infection and eventual death rates.
“This is a red flag since precarious work and financial strain can also co-occur with other Covid-19 risk factors and pre-existing health disparities,” Probst said.