Cross-cultural differences in attitudes toward compulsory and voluntary quarantine : risk preference and motivation.

• Main Author: Tho, Kai Ying.
• Other Authors: School of Humanities and Social Sciences
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences::Psychology
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/44801
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The Cushion hypothesis proposed by Weber and Hsee (1998) suggests that people from individualistic cultures are more risk adverse than their counterparts from collectivistic cultures. In this study, risk preference was examined in the context of quarantine. Results from this study yielded no support for cushion hypothesis. In some situations, Westerners were more risk-seeking than Singaporeans. An opposing hypothesis, Burden hypothesis, proposed by Li et al (2009) was provided as an explanation and discussed. In addition, rationale behind the decision whether to observe quarantine was also examined. Both Westerners and Singaporeans wanted to protect their families first while reasoned that the most important factor for keeping quarantine was for the good of their community.