Health During COVID-19: The Roles of Demographics, Information Access, and Government Policy

This study highlights how socio-demographic, information, and government factors play different roles in people’s health during COVID-19 between Asian countries and non-Asian countries by employing the Hierarchical Linear Regression. This study finds that government factors play a more significant role in shaping wellness and happiness in Asian countries, whereas they have a stronger impact on health status in non-Asian countries. Second, information factors—such as knowledge about vaccines, medical professionals, and reliable sources—have a more substantial effect on health status in Asian countries, while they are more strongly associated with wellness and happiness in non-Asian contexts. Third, socio-demographic variables exert a greater influence on overall health outcomes in non-Asian countries compared to Asian countries. In particular, gender, occupation, socioeconomic placement, height, and weight consistently play a significant role across all health dimensions in non-Asian countries, whereas their impact varies across different health domains in Asian settings.