Cooperation of ordinary citizens with urban management in the third wave of Covid-19 outbreak in Iran

Abstract

In response to the Covid-19 outbreak, nations worldwide imposed various restrictions on their citizens in an attempt to stem its spread. One underlying aspect of the success of these policies is people's adaptation to epidemics and their continuous cooperation with urban management to adhere to precautionary measures. Otherwise, the disease incidence and death rates in the countries will not decrease. The situation that has occurred in Iran since the beginning of September and a sudden rise has put this country at the top of the daily reported deaths of Covid-19 (in proportion to the population) in October and November. Thus, this study will focus on two important Iranian metropolises (Tehran and Karaj) to understand: 1) What is the level of citizens’ cooperation in complying with Covid-19-related precautionary measures? 2) How has the level of citizens' precautionary behaviors changed compared to the early days of the outbreak? 3) Is there a correlative relationship between citizens' personal and socioeconomic characteristics and their level of cooperation in this period? This cross-sectional study is based on online surveys (completion of 667 online questionnaires by ordinary citizens living in Tehran and Karaj). Findings show the participation of 30.3% in implementing all precautionary measures, with women, high-income groups, unemployed people, and those without a history of Covid-19 infection having a higher odds ratio than others. In terms of citizens' behavior, 21% have reduced their level of cooperation in this area, which is correlated with their personal and socioeconomic characteristics (except their city of residence).