How to increase adherence to recommendations to prevent the spread of epidemics: Contributions of the behavioural sciences
Preventing the spread of the new coronavirus requires many behavioural changes such as social distancing and regular hand washing. It is impossible to monitor the adherence to many of these guidelines and some might be in place for long periods of time. Accordingly, the effectiveness of the preventive measures is, to a large degree, dependent on people’s voluntary compliance. Within psychology in general, and social psychology in particular, there is a long tradition of research on how to influence people’s attitudes, motivations, and behaviour. There are also systematic frameworks for the development of effective behavioural interventions. The aim of the present article is 1) to demonstrate the usefulness of analysing behaviour and systematic intervention development in designing measures to help stop the spread of the epidemic, and 2) offer a number of concrete guidelines for such policies based on theories and evidence from the behavioural sciences. Behavioural sciences can be utilised in, for example, designing illustrative and motivating communication materials and ways of communicating, designing interventions through which people could consciously develop new routines for themselves, and tailoring the approaches to various subgroups.