Social value orientation, subjective effectiveness, perceived cost, and the use of protective measures during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany

We investigated the influence of perceived protective value for the public, perceived self-protective value, and perceived cost of the behavior on the adoption of protective behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a pilot study conducted when the lockdown was put in place in Germany, we investigated perceptions of the protective value and use of various protective behavioral measures against COVID-19. Although our sample (German general public, N = 419; age = 38.07, SD = 15.67; women = 71.1% [diverse = 0.5%]; students = 34.37%) consisted mostly of prosocially oriented individuals, we found that, above all, participants used protective measures that offered self-protection. In a second study conducted after the lock down in Germany had been lifted, which used a similar sample (German general public, N = 253; age = 42.53, SD = 16.03; women = 69.8% [diverse = 0.4%]; students = 24.10%), we observed the same results even after people had adapted to the threat. In addition, the second study showed a negative relationship between the perceived costs of a behavior and the frequency of its use. The two studies suggest that the use of protective measures during the COVID-19 pandemic is based on a cost-benefit perception. We conclude that health communication should focus on the perceived self-protective value of certain behaviors but should simultaneously emphasize their relatively low cost.