This document discusses the differences between individualistic and collectivist cultures and their potential implications for public health. It notes that individualistic cultures value independence, autonomy, and self-reliance, while collectivist cultures prioritize group cohesion and loyalty. Several studies are summarized that examined the relationship between these cultural dimensions and outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic like compliance with health guidelines, spread of the virus, and mortality rates. The document suggests public health policies and messages may need to be tailored based on whether a culture is more individualistic or collectivist.

1. Individualistic Cultures
and Collectivist Cultures:
Public Health Implications
Ahmed-Refat AG Refat
16/01/2022

2. Individualistic cultures
and Collectivist cultures.
• Culture is one factor that can have an
influence on how people think and
behave.
• One factor that cross-cultural
psychologists often study involves the
differences and similarities between
individualistic cultures and collectivist
cultures.
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3. • Individualistic societies there is a lack
of interpersonal connection and people only
take care of themselves or their families and
aim to achieve individual goals.
• Conversely, collectivist societies are
characterised by a strong group cohesion,
loyalty, and respect for members of the
group; the welfare of the group is put before
self-interest. 3
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4. Cross-cultural psychology.
• One interesting phenomenon that
cross-cultural psychologists have
observed is how people from
individualist cultures describe
themselves compared to how those
from collectivist cultures describe
themselves.
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5. Cross-cultural psychology.
• In a study
• 60% of Kenyans (a collectivist culture)
described themselves in terms of their
roles within groups
• while 48% of Americans (an individualist
culture) used personal characteristics to
describe themselves.
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6. Individualistic Culture Traits
• Being dependent upon others is often
considered shameful .
• Independence is highly valued
• Individual rights take center stage
• People often place a greater emphasis on
standing out and being unique.
• People tend to be self-reliant.
• The rights of individuals tend to take a higher
precedence 6
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7. Individualistic vs. Collectivist
Cultures
individualism prizes things such as:
 Autonomy
 Independence
 Self-sufficiency
 Uniqueness
• Whereas people in collectivist cultures
might be more likely to turn to family and
friends for support during difficult times,
those living in individualist cultures are more
likely to go it alone.
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8. Individualistic Culture
• In individualistic cultures, people are considered
"good" if they are strong, self-reliant, assertive,
and independent.
• This contrasts with collectivist cultures where
characteristics like being self-sacrificing,
dependable, generous, and helpful to others are
of greater importance.
• A few countries that are considered individualistic
cultures include the United States, Germany,
Ireland, South Africa, and Australia.
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9. Approaches to health care
• Individualistic Culture focus on personal
identity and autonomy that have a profound
influence on how a society functions. For example,
workers in an individualist culture are more
likely to value their own well-being over the
good of the group.
• Contrast this with a collectivist culture where
people might sacrifice their own comfort for the
greater good of everyone else.
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10. Approaches to health care
• Individualist cultures stress the
importance of each person taking care
of his or her self without depending on
others for assistance.
• Those in collectivist cultures may
instead stress sharing the burden of
care with the group as a whole.
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11. P. H Implications
Despite the virus outbreak being a global
phenomenon, different countries and
cultures may react differently to it.
Thus, research insight and policy
formulation should be treated in a case-
by-case manner based on culture, and
overarching global generalization should
be avoided.
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12. P. H Implications
The second implication is that
leaders should try to foster a more
collectivistic mindset among their
residents regarding promoting safe
conduct during the current pandemic
or future ones.
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13. P. H Implications
For example, when trying to promote safe behavior during
the pandemic, New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo was
quoted saying:
“Yeah it’s your life do whatever
you want, but you are now
responsible for my life. . . . We
started saying, It’s not about me
it’s about we.” .
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14. P. H Implications
Alternatively,
in cases where the individualistic
tendencies are deeply rooted, it
might be better to stress the
individual benefits of safe conduct
and vaccination instead of making the
case of collectivistic social
responsibility
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15. Some Studies….1
“The Tragedy of the Commons”:
How Individualism and
Collectivism Affected the
Spread of the COVID-19
Pandemic
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fp
ubh.2021.627559/full 2021
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16. Serial mediation model of collectivism norms, collective
attitudes, COVID-19 planned behavior, and relevant
decision-making (Study 2). *p < 0.05, **p <
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.627559/full
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18. Some Studies….2
• The relationship between measures
of individualism and collectivism an
d the impact of COVID-19 across
nations.
• Rajkumar RP.Public Health Pract (Oxf). 2021 Nov;2:100143. doi:
10.1016/j.puhip.2021.100143. Epub 2021 May
17.PMID: 34494009 Free PMC article.
•
• As a test of this hypothesis, this paper examined the association
between indices of individualism and collectivism and the
prevalence, mortality and case fatality rates of COVID-19 across
nations. STUDY DESIGN: This study was a population-level
association
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19. Some Studies….3
• 'Individualism-collectivism' as an
explanatory device for mental illness
stigma.
• Papadopoulos C, Foster J, Caldwell K.Community Ment
Health J. 2013 Jun;49(3):270-80. doi: 10.1007/s10597-
012-9534-x. Epub 2012 Jul 27.PMID: 22837106
• The questionnaire included the 'Community Attitudes
to Mental Illness scale' and the 'vertical-
horizontal individualism-collectivism scale'. The results
revealed that the more stigmatizing a culture's mental
illness attitudes are, the more likely collectiv …
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20. Some Studies…4
• COVID-19 and Public Masking Compliance in
Korea: We-ness and Individualism-
Collectivism at the Individual Level.
• Mo Y, Park HS.Health Commun. 2021 Nov 2:1-9. doi:
10.1080/10410236.2021.1993532. Online ahead of
print.PMID: 34726984
• We conducted a survey (N = 720) to measure MWB
perception based on its necessity and actual MWB,
with an individual-level analysis of vertical and
horizontal collectivism-individualism and we-ness.
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21. Some Studies….5
• The Role of Collectivism-Individualism in
Attitudes Toward Compliance and
Psychological Responses During the
COVID-19 Pandemic.
• Xiao WS.Front Psychol. 2021 Oct 28;12:600826. doi:
10.3389/fpsyg.2021.600826. eCollection
2021.PMID: 34777076 Free PMC article.
• This study examined the role of individual differences in horizontal
and vertical individualism and collectivism, trust and worries, and
concerns about COVID-19 in predicting the attitudes toward
compliance of health advice and psychological responses …
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22. Some Studies….6
Is collectivism good
for health promotion? Experiences of
day labourers in Japan.
• Kawabata M.Glob Health Promot. 2013 Dec;20(4):44-51.
doi: 10.1177/1757975913503384.PMID: 24469302
• Collectivist values such as social trust and reciprocity
are usually associated with positive health outcomes.
Few studies have explored
how collectivism influences individual and community
capacity to engage health promotion practices.
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23. Some Studies….7
The interaction between
individualism and wellbeing in
predicting mortality: Survey of
Health Ageing and Retirement in
Europe
• Judith A. Okely1,2
• • Alexander Weiss2
• • Catharine R. Gale1,3
• Received: March 13, 2017 / Accepted: July 3, 2017 / Published online: July 15, 2017
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24. Some Studies….8
Collectivism predicts mask
use during COVID-19
• Jackson G. Lua,1 , Peter Jina, and
Alexander S. Englishb,c,1 PNAS 2021 Vol. 118
No. 23 e2021793118
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25. Some Studies….9
Individualism kills
• Joachim Klement
• Mar 25, 2020
• 14
• As the countries of the world fight the Covid-19 pandemic, there
are clear differences visible in how the general population reacts to
the measures recommended by experts and implemented by
governments. In countries like China, Singapore or Korea, the
spread of the virus was effectively reduced by extreme social
distancing measures like curfews. But when countries in the West
like the UK or the United States tried to implement these measures,
many people just didn’t follow the government’s recommendation.
O
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26. Some Studies….10
• Front Psychol . 2021 Jun 22;12:620490.
• Individualism and Egalitarianism Can Kill:
How Cultural Values
Predict Coronavirus
Deaths Across the Globe
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