Public Behavioural Responses to Policy Making During the Pandemic : Comparative Perspectives on Mask-Wearing Policies

This book provides a comparative study of people's mask-wearing behaviour in response to government policies between European-Northern America and Asian countries. Examining citizens' attitudes towards their state during the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspectives of history, linguistics, politics, economics and sociology, the contributors in this volume explore to what extent people accept the wearing of masks in countries where governments have made it mandatory as compared to countries where people wear masks voluntarily. The book thus looks at mask-wearing from a political dichotomy between authoritarianism and liberalism and posits the extent to which political divisions could have existed in public opinion over the measures taken against COVID-19. Filled with invaluable insights through research in 13 countries, this book will appeal to readers in policy making and influencing public opinion via the Europe-Asia comparative study. Cover Half Title Series Title Copyright Table of Contents List of Figures List of Tables List of Contributors Preface 1 Introduction: controversy in mask-wearing 2 Public awareness of mask usage in 29 countries in 2020 PART I Europe 3 Historical analysis of public health policies for preventing epidemics in Hungary 4 The mask as a new political and symbolic issue in France in 2020: a qualitative analysis of news media controversies 5 Between ‘mouth-nose-protection’ and ‘muzzle’: mask-wearing in German public debate 6 The welfare state and COVID-19 countermeasures: the relationship of trust and cooperation between citizens and their governments in Sweden and Finland 7 The unlawful and unequal wearing of masks: the case of Poland during COVID-19 8 Attitudes towards mask-wearing in Greece 9 COVID-19 in British Columbia, Canada: health policy responses and social adaptation PART II Asia 10 Preventing the pandemic: face masks and infectious diseases in Taiwan’s modern history 11 Social values and mask-wearing behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan 12 COVID-19 infection control in China: the Chinese crisismanagement system and mask mandates 13 Public mask-wearing behaviour and perception towards COVID-19 intervention policies in Thailand: a mixedmethods study 14 The consciousness of public actions concerning the COVID-19 in Cambodia 15 Conclusion: comparative perspectives on mask-wearing policies and public behaviours Index "This book provides a comparative study of people's behaviour towards state through mask wearing between European-Northern America and Asian countries. Examining citizens' attitudes towards their state during the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspectives of history, linguistics, politics, economics and sociology, the contributors in this volume explore to what extent people accept the wearing of mask in countries where governments have made it mandatory as compared against countries where people wear masks voluntarily. The book thus looks at mask wearing from a political dichotomy between authoritarianism and liberalism and posits the extent to which political divisions could have existed in public opinion over the measures taken against the COVID-19. Filled with invaluable insights through research in 13 countries, this book will appeal to readers in policy making and influencing public opinion from the Europe-Asia comparative study"-- Provided by publisher