From 2020... Regional Personality Differences Predict Variation in COVID-19 Infections, Deaths and Social Distancing Behavior

From 2020... Peters, Heinrich, Friedrich M. Götz, Tobias Ebert, Sandrine Müller, Jason Rentfrow, Samuel D. Gosling, Martin Obschonka, et al. 2020. “Regional Personality Differences Predict Variation in COVID-19 Infections, Deaths and Social Distancing Behavior.” PsyArXiv. August 6. doi:10.31234/osf.io/sqh98

Abstract: Social and compliance behaviors play a critical role in the transmission of COVID-19. Consequently, regional variation in personality traits that capture individual differences in these behaviors may offer new insight into the spread of COVID-19. We combine self-reported personality data (3.5M people), COVID-19 prevalence and death rates, and behavioral mobility observations (29M people) to show that regional personality differences in the US and Germany predict COVID-19-related outcomes and behaviors incremental to a conservative set of socio-demographic, economic, and pandemic-related control variables. Earlier onsets of COVID-19 and steeper initial growth rates were related to higher levels of Openness and lower levels of Neuroticism. We also show that (i) regional personality is associated with objective indicators of social distancing, (ii) the effects of regional personality can change over time (Openness), and that (iii) the effects of regional personality do not always converge with those observed at the individual level (Agreeableness and Conscientiousness).