The Role of National Cultural Dimensions in Pandemic Outcomes: A Cross‐Sectional Study Across 90 Countries During the COVID‐19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT This paper contributes to a relatively simple and efficient referencing method for a decision‐maker needs to impose or adjust the policies in fighting against a pandemic crisis. A Bayesian network (BN) model is built via referring to a pre‐condition evaluated by canonical correlation analysis to diagnose the likelihood of a severe pandemic by exploring the relationship between Hofstede's national culture dimensions and mortality rate (MR) as well as some other policy‐related index. Sample data retrieved from 90 countries and areas up to 13, July 2020, were used for this worldwide cross‐sectional study during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Another four countries and areas were employed to examine the accuracy of our model. Results also suggest that a strict isolation policy (PI) is possibly not an efficient way to contain the COVID‐19 pandemic, especially for those countries or areas with loose ties between individuals. The probability of a high MR, derived from three Hofstede cultural dimensions using the BN model, serves as a reliable indicator of policy implementation effectiveness. Additionally, the individualism versus collectivism (IDV) dimension, which reflects societal group integration (with lower IDV values indicating stronger cohesion), constitutes a key metric for policy assessment. The findings are intended to provide a foundation for developing strategies that strengthen preparedness and resilience in addressing comparable public health crises in the future.