Compliance with behavioural guidelines in Sweden during the Covid-19 pandemic : The role of personality traits and perceptions of the situation

Sammanfattning: The Covid-19 pandemic caused countries across the world to implement a wide range of restrictions and recommendations to control the spread of the virus. The current study aimed to investigate how differences in personality traits and differences in how an individual perceives the situation of Covid-19 among Swedish university students affect the overall compliance with guidelines applied by their government. A total of 106 university students completed a questionnaire measuring personality traits (Big Five) and perceptions of the situation (Situational Eight DIAMONDS) in relation to their self-estimated compliance. The data analysis showed that the students complied with the guidelines with a mean of 77%. Individuals who were less agreeable and perceived less adversity in the Covid-19 situation complied more. All predictor variables could account for approximately 28% of the explained variance in compliance. These results are of importance in a preparatory purpose for governments to efficiently cope with future threats.