ArticleNature human behaviour2021
A worldwide assessment of changes in adherence to COVID-19 protective behaviours and hypothesized pandemic fatigue.
Article in Nature human behaviour, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 226 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
226 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Behavioural Sciences Contribution to Suppressing Transmission of Covid-19 in the UK: A Systematic Literature Review.International journal of behavioral medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Are Fear Campaigns Effective for Increasing Adherence to COVID-Related Mitigation Measures?International journal of behavioral medicine · 2023Trial
- Examining the role of COVID-19 testing availability on intention to isolate: A Randomized hypothetical scenario.PloS one · 2022Trial
- Attitudes and Behaviors of Canadians Towards COVID-19 Prevention Measures According to Vaccination Status: A Multi-phase, Cross-sectional Sequential Observational Cohort Study from May 2021 to June 2022.International journal of behavioral medicine · 2026Article
- Mechanics of pandemics.EClinicalMedicine · 2026Review
- Patterns of compliance with COVID-19 preventive measures in Armenia: results from a cross-sectional survey.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Individual feedback on risk for acquiring SARS-CoV-2 infection failed to change future risk behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.SSM - population health · 2026Article
- Non-compliance with COVID-19 Health Recommendations: Five- and Ten-Month Effects on Mental Health and Academic Self-efficacy Among University Students in Sweden.International journal of behavioral medicine · 2026Article
- Behavioural Drivers of COVID-19 Vaccination and Antiviral Uptake in Australia: A Cross-Sectional Analysis Using the COM-B Framework.Vaccines · 2026Article
- Simulating population compliance with pandemic interventions using large language models.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026Article
- Difficulties in adherence to social distancing and quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons from a longitudinal study comparing migrants and non-migrants in a city in Norway.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Beyond what meets the eye: unveiling dynamics of compliance with preventive measures in the COVID-19 era.BMC public health · 2026Article
- The psychological ability to adopt recommended coping responses reduced infections during the COVID-19 pandemic.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- Impact of Social Drivers of Health, Self-Efficacy, and Substance Use on COVID-19 Preventative Behaviors Among Persons Who Inject Drugs with Hepatitis C: The HERO Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- On urban maladaptation in times of epidemics.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- From perception to action in public health emergencies: a three-gate integrated framework linking risk perception, information engagement, and protective responses.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Associations Between COVID-19 Anxiety Syndrome and Pandemic Fatigue in a Post-Lockdown Context: The Roles of Community and Personal Resilience.Psychology research and behavior management · 2026Article
- Widening East-West inequality in life expectancy in Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic: An international comparative study.PloS one · 2026Article
- Public trust and moral perceptions as predictors of anticipated preventive behavior toward future epidemics among adults in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Inferring mobility reductions from COVID-19 disease spread along the urban-rural gradient.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
166 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
As the COVID-19 pandemic lingers, the possibility of 'pandemic fatigue' has raised worldwide concerns. Here, we examine whether there was a gradual reduction in adherence to protective behaviours against COVID-19 from March through December 2020, as hypothesized in expectations of fatigue. We considered self-report behaviours from representative samples of the populations of 14 countries (N = 238,797), as well as mobility and policy data for 124 countries. Our results show that changes in adherence were empirically meaningful and geographically widespread. While a low-cost and habituating behaviour (mask wearing) exhibited a linear rise in adherence, high-cost and sensitizing behaviours (physical distancing) declined, but this decline decelerated over time, with small rebounds seen in later months. Reductions in adherence to physical distancing showed little difference across societal groups, but were less intense in countries with high interpersonal trust. Alternative underlying mechanisms and policy implications are discussed.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.