Pa ndemic Parameters 2020–2021 by Socio-cultural Groups of Countries – Applied Analysis1

Abstract

Sociocultural factors have become a one of the priority areas in research within the framework of theories of long-term development. This article discusses the parameters of groups of countries (values of survival-self-expression and traditional secular-rational values) according to the Inglehart – Welzel cultural map, along with other sociocultural and socio-economic indicators. The significant cumulative advantage (gross domestic product (GDP) per capita) of three groups of countries – Anglo-Saxon, Protestant and Catholic – compared to the rest reflects a long history of world progress. A number of the social parameters of these groups probably reflect their level of development, to which other factors have played a role in the long term. A key question addressed in the article. is whether sociocultural factors that have developed over long periods have a significant impact on the behaviour of countries in the context of modern crises, and in this case, on the incidence of vaccination in countries in critical conditions. To answer this question, qualitative and quantitative methods of analysis have been conducted using the instance of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020–21. The hypothesis was tested on an array of 80–94 countries for which there was relevant statistical data. The tables and calculations presented in the article indicate the following results: countries more advanced in the direction of self-expression values on the Inglehart scale demonstrate higher vaccination scores and lower disease scores, and those oriented toward secular-rational values have higher rates of suicide than countries with predominantly traditional views.