Social Distancing and COVID-19: Factors Associated With Compliance With Social Distancing Norms in Spain

Abstract

This article describes patterns among the Spanish population of compliance with social distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. It identifies several factors associated with higher or lower compliance with recommended measures of social distancing. This study is part of a 67-country study, entitled the International COVID-19 study on Social & Moral Psychology, of which we use the Spanish dataset. Participants were residents in Spain aged 18 or over. The sample comprises 1,090 respondents, weighted to be representative of the Spanish population. Frequencies, correlations, bivariate analysis, and six models based on hierarchical multiple regressions were applied. Our main finding is that most Spaniards are compliant with the established guidelines of social distance during the pandemic (State of Alarm, before May 2020). Variables more associated with lower levels of compliance with these standards were explored. Six hierarchical multiple regression models found that compliance with social distance measures explains multifactorially (R2 between 20.4% and 49.1%). Sociodemographic factors, personal hygiene patterns, and the interaction between personal hygiene patterns and the support for political measures related to the coronavirus brought significant effects in regression models. Less compliance was also explained by beliefs in some specific conspiracy theories with regard to COVID-19 or general conspiracy mentality (CMQ), consumption patterns of traditional mass media (television, paper newspapers, magazines, radio), and modern means to get informed (online digital newspapers, blogs, and social networks), political ideology, vote, trust in institutions, and political identification. Among the future lines of action in preventing the possible outbreak of the virus, we suggest measures to reinforce trust in official information, mainly linked to reducing the influence of disinformation and conspiracy theories parallel to the pandemic.