Unraveling the Pandemic's Cultural Impact: Differential Changes in Collectivism Components and the Predictive Power of COVID-19 Cases in China

This study investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on individualism, collectivism, and various collectivism components in China using a large dataset of Sina Weibo posts from January 2020 to December 2020. Our findings demonstrate a significant shift in cultural values after the COVID-19 outbreak in China, with a decrease in individualism and an increase in overall collectivism. However, the effects were complex and varied across different cultural dimensions. Friend-related collectivism decreased, potentially due to limited socializing opportunities, while institutional collectivism increased, reflecting the Chi-nese government's prominent role in controlling the spread of the virus. Mixed-effects regression models revealed that the monthly number of new COVID-19 cases negatively predicted individualism and positively predicted general collectivism and organization-related collectivism across provinces, highlighting the influence of the pandemic's severity on cultural values. Unexpectedly, family-related collectivism did not show the hy-pothesized increase, indicating the need for further research on this component and its potential fluctuations over time. Our results emphasize the role of culture in shaping public responses to crises and suggest that future studies should combine multiple methods, use finer temporal resolutions, and explore regional differences and underlying factors contributing to variations in cultural dimensions. This approach will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the complex interplay between pandemics and cultural values, ultimately informing strategies for navigating future global challenges.