Difference of Obedience in following Health Protocols based on

COVID-19 Conspiracy Belief Level among Adolescents

Husni Fadhilah and Nurmina

Department of Psychology, Universitas Negeri Padang, Padang, Indonesia

Keywords: Obedience, Health Protocols, Conspiracy Belief, COVID-19, Adolescent.

Abstract: In order to prevent COVID-19 infectious, all kind of ages including adolescents have to follow the rules from

government about health protocols. Obedience in following health protocols is the important things in

COVID-19 infection control. But many kind of conspiracies related to COVID-19 comes into the society.

Adolescent is the group that has vulnerability to believe in conspiracies. This research aimed to see the

differences about obedience in following the rule of health protocols based on level belief in COVID-19

conspiracies. The method of this study is quantitative comparative. Subject were the high school adolescents

that domiciled in Kuranji sub-district of Padang amount 190 which divided in 3 groups (N=190) taken by

purposive sampling. Instruments are COVID-19 conspiracy belief scale and obedience in following health

protocols scale. Data analyzes of Kruskal-Wallis test has found sig. (p) 0,000 (p<0,05). The result has found

there are significant differences about obedience in following the rule of health protocols based on level belief

in COVID-19 conspiracies. Overall, sample was classified to obedience in medium level. Educational and

Health Institution should educate about the serious impact caused by COVID-19 and also inform the COVID-

19 hoax so that adolescents become more obey in following health protocols.

1 INTRODUCTION

The worlds has suffering for COVID-19 outbreak

almost for two years. Coronavirus Disease-2019

(COVID-19) was a disease caused by novel

coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the first case was found in

Wuhan, China on Desember 2019 ago (WHO, 2020).

Total case of COVID-19 in West Sumatra has

reached 89.342 cases (Website Corona Sumbar,

October 1, 2021). The biggest infectious COVID-19

region in West Sumatra located in Padang with total

case has reached 42.070 cases. One of the biggest

infectious COVID-19 region in Padang located in

Kuranji Sub-District with total case has reached 7.143

cases (Dinas Kesehatan Kota Padang, October 1,

2021). COVID-19 easily infect the human, so that the

spread of virus has increased quickly.

In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19

infectious that continued, the government and

institution has implemented health protocols like

wearing a mask, increasing sanitation, and sosial

distancing (Romer & Jamieson, 2020; Sanche, Lin,

Xu, Romero-Severson, Hengartner, & Ke, 2020;

Biddlestone, Green, & Douglas, 2020; Bavel et. al,

2020). However, health protocols recommendation

which implemented by government and institution

like World Health Organization (WHO) seems not

being effective in affecting societies behavior to

following health protocols (Adiwena, Satyajati, &

Hapsari, 2020). Health protocols which did not

followed by societies was affected by government

first actions in controlling the outbreak. The

government underestimated the case of COVID-19

and did not assertive in taking actions to prevent the

spread of COVID-19 (“Ragam Alasan Warga”,

2020). Conversely, societies that believe to

government’s credibility are likely to follow the rules

that implemented by government (Stapleton, 2020).

Obedience is the psychological mechanism that

links the individuals behavior to political purpose

which binds humans to system of authority (Milgram,

1974). The government as the authority, control the

individuals punishment if did not follow the health

protocols. In the implementation of health protocols,

societies divided in two sides, societies that obey to

health protocols and societies that disobey to health

protocols (Buana, 2020; Stapleton, 2020). The

societies that disobey to health protocols could be

affected by various factors like the rules that specified

are not a habitual, optimistic biased, distrust to the

Fadhilah, H. and Nurmina, .

Difference of Obedience in following Health Protocols based on COVID-19 Conspiracy Belief Level among Adolescents.

DOI: 10.5220/0011095200003368

In Proceedings of the International Conference of Mental Health (Icometh 2021), pages 54-58

ISBN: 978-989-758-586-9

rule giver, or conspiracy belief (Park, Ju, Ohs, &

Hinsley, 2020; Stapleton, 2020; Romer & Jamieson,

2020).

Across to the higher cases of COVID-19 in

Indonesia, there were various COVID-19

conspiracies theory which come into societies (Alper,

Bayrak, & Yilmaz, 2020; Bertin, Nera, & Delouvée,

2020). COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs have a negative

association with health protocols action with the

strongest negative effects being associated with some

beliefs that the corona virus actually did not exist,

lethality has been exaggerated, and the symptoms

may caused by a non-viral of corona (Allington et

al.,2020). And also, conspiracy belief arise because of

rejection to authority figure (van Prooijen & van

Lange, 2014). So that, individual’s belief to COVID-

19 conspiracies could make some trouble, particularly

in behavior that relate to obedience in health

protocols. According to the survey that has conducted

by one of institution, 39,9% societies in West

Sumatra assumed that COVID-19 as an global

conspiracy which impacted on abandonment to

government recommendation about health protocols

(“Survei: 39 Persen Warga”, 2020).

Conspiracies are likely to be believed by younger

people than older people (Allington et al.,2020).

Belief in conspiracy theories are likely higher to

individuals that lower education level (Georgiou,

Delfabbro, & Balzan, 2020). The survey about

conspiracies theory has conducted to 57 high school

adolescents. Survey has found that 94,74 %

adolescent knew about conspiracy and 70,17 %

believed to one or more conspiracy that exist. And

also, the total infection of COVID-19 tend to be

higher particularly in adolescents aged 13 until 17

years old (National Institute for Public Health and the

Environment, 2020). So that, the study will conduct

to see difference of obedience in follow health

protocols based on COVID-19 conspiracy belief level

among adolescents in Kuranji sub-district, Padang.

2 METHOD

The study use quantitative method and causal-

comparative type of research. The population of this

study were a adolescent that domiciled in Kuranji

sub-district. Sample were the high school adolescents

that studying in Kuranji sub-district. The technique of

sampling will use the purposive sampling. Criteria for

participants are adolescents aged 15 until 19 years

old, live in Kuranji sub-district, never getting

infection of COVID-19 for themself or main family.

Total participant amount 190 will be divided into

three groups according to classification of conspiracy

belief level. First group are the individuals with low

level of conspiracy belief amount 48 participants.

Second group are the individuals with medium level

of conspiracy belief amount 100 participants. Third

group are the individuals with high level of

conspiracy belief amount 42 participants. The

classification of each groups based on COVID-19

conspiracy belief scale.

The instrument using two scales that were

constructed by researcher through reliability and

validity test (using SPSS 16.0 and professional

judgement). COVID-19 conspiracy belief scale based

on theory from van Prooijen and van Lange (2014)

that consist 16 item. Obedience in following health

protocols scale based on theory from Milgram (1974)

that consist 39 item. The scales were shared through

google form link. The data was analyzed by Kruskal-

Wallis test in SPPS 16.0.

3 RESULTS

3.1 Description of Subject

Table 1: Subject Description.

COVID-19

Conspiracy

Belief

Level

Gender

(%)

Belief to Other

Conspiracy

(%)

Low Level

Group

Male:

Female: 75

Ever:

Never: 75

Medium

Level

Group

Male:

Female: 73

Ever:

Never: 56

100

High Level

Group

Male:

19.05

Female: 80.95

Ever:

54.76

Never:

45.24

Total 190

According to table 1, it can conclude that group

with low level of COVID-19 conspiracy belief have

lower frequency of belief in other conspiracies.

Meanwhile, group with medium level of COVID-19

conspiracy belief have almost balance on frequency

of belief or disbelief in other conspiracies.

Conversely, group with high level of COVID-19

conspiracy belief have higher frequency of belief in

other conspiracies. It means that adolescents who

believe in one conspiracy tend to believe in other

conspiracies.

Difference of Obedience in following Health Protocols based on COVID-19 Conspiracy Belief Level among Adolescents

3.2 Description of Obedience in Follow

Health Protocols

Table 2: Description of Obedience in Follow Health

protocols based on COVID-19 Conspiracy Belief.

Grou

Mean SD SE Min Max

Low

Level

124.23 13.994 2.020 80 156

Medium

Level

110.71 9.831 0.983 74 140

High

Level

106.21 14.018 2.163 76 132

Total 113.13 13.674 0.992 74 156

According to table 2, it can conclude that each

groups based on COVID-19 conspiracy belief have

differences in mean. Group with high level of

COVID-19 conspiracy belief have lower mean in

obedience to health protocols compared with both of

group that medium and low level of COVID-19

conspiracy belief. Conversely, group with low level

of COVID-19 conspiracy belief shows higher mean

in obedience to health protocols. Groups with low

level of COVID-19 conspiracy belief classified to

high level of obedience in follow health protocols.

Meanwhile, group with medium and high level of

COVID-19 conspiracy belief classified to medium

level of obedience in follow health protocols. It

means that the higher individuals believe in COVID-

19 conspiracy, the lower level of obedience in

following health protocols. Overall, sample classified

to medium level of obedience in following health

protocols.

3.3 Normality Test

Table 3: Normality Test.

Unstandardized

Residual

N 190

Normal Parameters

Mean

Deviaton Standard

0.0000000

11.86831998

Most Extreme Differences

Absolute

Positive

Negative

0.064

0.057

-0.064

Kolmogorov-Smirnov Z

Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed)

0.883

0.417

Normality test was analyzed by using the

Kolmogorov-Smirnov in SPSS 16.0 with criteria

normal distribution if (p) value > 0.05. The data

distributions according to the test is normal, (p) =

0.417.

3.4 Homogeneity Test

Table 4: Homogeneity Test.

Levene Statistic df1 df2 Significant

7.042 2 187 0.001

Homogeneity test was analyzed by using the

Levene’s test in SPSS 16.0 with the criteria of data

variant would be homogen if (p) value > 0.05. The

table 4 shows that the data variant is not homogen, (p)

= 0.001.

3.5 Kruskal-Wallis Test

Table 5: Kruskal-Wallis Test.

Test Statistic Ran

Obedience Group

Based on

Conspiracy

Belief

Level

N Mean

Rank

Chi-

Square

46.162 Low Level 48 140.89

Df 2 Medium

Level

100 84.76

Asymp.

0.000 High Level 42 69.20

Data was analyzed by using Kruskal-Wallis test to

see the differences between COVID-19 conspiracy

belief level on obedience in follow health protocols

among adolescents. The test shows (p) value < 0.05

(sig. p = 0.000), it means that there are a significant

differences in each groups. Table 5 shows the

differences between mean ranks of each groups. The

low level group shows the highest ranks in obedience

to health protocols. Conversely, the high level group

shows the lowest ranks in obedience to health

protocols.

4 DISCUSSION

This study has found that there were significant

differences of obedience in following health

protocols based on COVID-19 conspiracy belief level

among adolescents. All groups based on COVID-19

conspiracy belief shows the different mean score on

obedience in following health protocols. Adolescents

in low level group of COVID-19 conspiracy belief

shows the highest obedience in following health

protocols rather than adolescents in medium and high

Icometh 2021 - International Conference of Mental Health

level groups of COVID-19 conspiracy belief. It can

conclude that the lower level of adolescent’s belief to

COVID-19 conspiracy, the higher obedience level in

following health protocols. The previous study by

Allington et al. (2020) has found that there was

negative strong relationship between believing in

COVID-19 conspiracy and engagement in following

health protocols. Also, the study by Biddlestone,

Green, and Douglas (2020) and study found that

COVID-19 conspiracy belief causing individuals low

intention on engagement in following health

protocols.

The current study has found that adolescents who

have high level of conspiracy belief are likely

disbelieve to COVID-19 risk and assume that

COVID-19 as a common flu. Imhoff and Laberty

(2020) in the previous study said that individuals who

underestimate the risk of COVID-19 tend to ignoring

health protocols. Conversely, perceived vulnerability

and perceived severity of COVID-19 had significant

indirect effects on intention to following health

protocols (Prasetyo et al, 2020). It can conclude that

believe to COVID-19 conspiracy is affecting the level

of adolescent’s obedience in following health

protocols. The educational and health institution

should educate adolescents about the serious impact

caused by COVID-19 and also inform the COVID-19

hoax so that adolescents become more obey in

following health protocols.

The same as previous study by Douglas (2021),

the current study has found that individuals who

believe in one conspiracy tend to believe in other

conspiracies. Individuals who believe in one

conspiracy theory could thinks that other conspiracies

also seem more plausible. This occurs because

conspiracy theories typically cohere with the

important and secret things which covered up or

hidden from the public.

The current study has the limitation, this study

only examine the difference of obedience based on

the level of COVID-19 conspiracy belief on

adolescents. The next studies should compare the

obedience in following health protocols based on

COVID-19 conspiracy belief in another range of age

and education level. Also, it’s quite difficult to get the

sample who appropriate with criteria of sampling, so

the next studies should be conducted in a larger

sample.

5 CONCLUSIONS

There are significant differences in obedience of

health protocols based on level of COVID-19

conspiracy belief among adolescents. The lower

COVID-19 conspiracy belief, the higher obedience in

following health protocols. Overall, adolescents in

Kuranji sub-district were classified to medium level

in obedience of health protocols. The current study

has prove the negative impact of COVID-19

conspiracy beliefs in prevent the spread of COVID-

19 especially obedience in following health protocols.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors give thanks to Mr. Rinaldi and Mr. Amin

Akbar for critical and helpful comments on this paper.

And also, thanks to the Education Institution and

some schools that gives the permission to conduct this

study.

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Icometh 2021 - International Conference of Mental Health