Go Corona Go! Cultural Beliefs and Social Norms in India during COVID-19

"...there is an opportunity to intervene in targeted, measured, and specific ways to nudge individuals toward healthy and safe behaviour that could potentially save millions of lives."

In April 2020, a 3-week lockdown across India was enforced to implement social distancing as a measure to contain the global spread of COVID-19. Past evidence from the fields of psychology and behavioural economics indicates that culture and environment play a significant role in how such behaviour change in pandemics can be sustained. This is particularly the case in India, where human behaviour intersects with considerations of diverse cultural beliefs, ethnic fragmentation, and social norms. Taking into account potential cultural correlates specific to India, this paper outlines a set of behavioural interventions that policymakers can consider when designing communication and prevention strategies in light of the spread of COVID-19 in India, even after the formal lockdown period has ended.

As explored in the paper, India's response to the spread of previous deadly epidemics bring to the fore the role of spiritual, religious, and social context. Efforts to eradicate smallpox were hampered by significant misinformation (e.g., that the prophylactic was made from cows, which are sacred animals for Hindus, which make up approximately 80% of India's population). When tackling the spread of the bubonic plague from Surat in 1994, there was widespread panic that led to ostracisation in the community. These are indications that India has faced behavioural challenges that could undermine a measured and targeted approach to preventing the spread of COVID-19.

To frame their analysis, the authors point to research that has suggested that humans use frugal decision rules to make choices. The availability heuristic is a type of mental shortcut via which people make judgments on the basis of availability of information about alternate outcomes.

Ranging from chants of "Go Corona Go!" (aimed at driving the virus away, and not as a cheer) to unscientific beliefs about drinking cow urine to kill it, much of the messaging around COVID-19 in India "is intricately tied to cultural beliefs, which are often reinforced via daily rituals." In this context, alluding to a culturally relevant metaphor to invoke social distancing might be effective. In a speech a few hours before the lockdown began, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to citizens to abide by the restrictions on movement and activities, using the analogy of the Lakshmana rekha. This is a reference to the protective line Lakshmana drew around Sita's house to prevent harm from befalling her in the ancient Indian epic Ramayana. In Indian parlance, Lakshmana rekha has come to represent a strict rule that should not be broken, invoking normative behaviour with an easily available and salient cultural reference.

At the Indian Prime Minister's urging, citizens who had been instructed to stay home stood at their windows or doorways to applaud the efforts of medical workers, which could be seen as a means of enhancing salience and availability of the idea that frontline workers rely on everyone else staying at home to effectively tackle the crisis. At 5PM, synchronously, Indians all over the country clapped, rang bells, and made an audible din showing their appreciation. According to the authors, "activating the affect heuristic by displaying gratitude in this manner might have enhanced participation....Behaviorally, this was a powerful signal to neighbors and the community regarding adherence to a prescriptive norm....Those who recorded and shared the moment on social media engaged in virtue signaling, making their commitment known to friends and family..."

Other examples of heuristics in the context of this pandemic include social distancing being implemented in several regions through the use of circles and squares drawn on the ground to serve as a visual cue for people queuing up to buy essential goods. Traffic police in some cities have worn "corona helmets" designed to raise awareness among commuters (see above). "The spiky helmets used to represent the coronavirus inadvertently drew on research showing that attention is captured by novel stimuli and that we have stronger and quicker responses to threatening than non-threatening stimuli, "making for an effective message".

In light of these observations, the authors argue that making use of the availability heuristic in the choice of intervention frames is important for a social distancing policy to be effective in India. They outline 5 policy insights that are specific to implementing behavioural interventions in India:

1. Drawing on the Lakshmana rekha principle and its use consistent with the availability heuristic, they recommend drawing a line outside the home near the doorway with rangoli (coloured powder) or chalk to provide a visual nudge to prevent crossing the line, quite literally. Creating a visual, tangible intervention while making a prominent cultural reference in India could prime individuals to remain indoors.
2. To help people estimate a reasonable length for maintaining social distance, they propose that COVID-19-related policy communication in India include asking people to "Stay about 2 cricket bats apart" (a cricket bat (approximately 3 feet in length), is very common in Indian households). This could be relatable and effective messaging, given the popularity of the sport in India, as well as the accessibility of this object to memory.
3. Combating the coronavirus is a collective action and coordination problem; therefore, citizen participation can be used to assist the local authorities to enforce prescribed behaviour. Clanging vessels to show appreciation may be repurposed to draw attention to rule violators or those who break quarantine, particularly in rural areas, where social networks are often stronger and there is familiarity between rule violators and whistleblowers.
4. Starting a social media initiative (#SocialDistance-Selfie), where citizens are encouraged to post a screenshot of them video-chatting with friends and family by maintaining social connectivity despite physical distancing, could become a novel way to virtue signal for those who feel it important to showcase their compliance. By calling on norms, this idea draws inspiration from an earlier viral trend in India called #SelfiewithDaughter, which was implemented as part of the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana (Save and educate your daughter programme).
5. When it comes to implementing behavioural interventions and nudges, context is important. For example, implementing social distancing in a dense, diverse, and large metropolitan area such as Mumbai may be more challenging than in other parts of the country. Furthermore, data from the World Bank (2017) estimates that only about 60% of Indians have access to basic handwashing facilities and soap. Similarly, different governance structures may be associated with variations in implementation capacity at the state or local level. As the perceived threat level of COVID-19 may not be communicated effectively (and simultaneously) to all levels of stakeholders, policymakers may be hampered by a lack of adequate information on designing responses.

In conclusion: "Whether it be through state-sanctioned or self-imposed changes, monitoring individual behaviors is more important than ever to contain the spread of the virus."