Some People Now Wear Masks: Is It the Outcome of Lockdown-laws or Individual’s Psychological Influence Being Safe: A Cross-examination Under Demand and Supply Model?

Abstract

Human psychology influences individuals’ decisions where many factors can be used exploiting it. But this approach was missing in tackling the COVID-19-crisis while it was spreading globally. Most countries like Bangladesh were not prepared addressing it. They started with traditional approaches explicitly lockdown, shutdown-crowded-spots, and imposed-mandatory wearing-mask outside-home. However, a sizable population-percentage country-wise had ignored the restrictions. During the second wave of the crisis, no-mask-no-service was in practice. It was effective in most cases. However, no effort was given to convince people, making them understand and then make appeal for peoples’ actions. Today there is no lockdown or restriction. But a small population-percentage wear masks, which has been growing. This dichotomy result raises the question: Is it the outcome of individual’s psychological influence being safe? This study uses demand and supply model and concludes that perceived risk-factors, being observers or heard about the consequences, media-messages, and feelings of responsibility & safety out of self-consciousness etc. play significant roles in today’s scenario. Since most people are risk-averse, utility analysis of the factor(s) of psychology-influences such as individual’s understanding about severity, knowledge etc. are dominating today’s scenario where expected utility leads the mask-wearing-trends. Thus, the policy-proposal ratifies that use the techniques of convincing over command & control could have undercut the death-numbers during severity-period. Welfare analysis of the policy-proposal can lead for future study on today’s scenario.