United Nations and World Health Organization data show a positive correlation, r = .53, p < .0001, N = 189, between COVID‐19 infection rates and the human development index (HDI). Less wealthy, less educated countries with lower life spans were also more successful in maintaining lower fatality rates, r = .46, p < .0001, N = 189 whereas 9 of the top‐10 countries in the world in per capita fatalities due to COVID‐19 were Western societies high in HDI. Similar positive correlations were found between COVID‐19 infection and fatality rates and a smaller sample of 76 countries measured on Schwartz intellectual autonomy (or individualism), and negative correlations of similar magnitude were found for embeddedness (or collectivism). East Asia was a global leader in preventing the spread of COVID‐19 because of a vigilant public concerned for public safety and compliant with public safety measures. African Union leaders coordinated their responses, and bought into a continent‐wide African Medical Supplies Platform that prevented panicked competition for scare supplies. Western global media and scholars have not paid attention to the successes of East Asia, Africa, and the South Pacific in fighting the pandemic. It is worth asking why this should be the case; understand the weaknesses of extreme individualism in fighting a pandemic requiring coordinated and unified public response, and consider the lessons for global scholars from the pandemic for doing research in the future.

中文翻译：

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世界大多数国家在遏制 COVID-19 方面取得的成功和欧洲和美国的失败：文化集体主义和全球领导力


联合国和世界卫生组织的数据显示，COVID-19 感染率与人类发展指数 (HDI) 之间呈正相关， r = 0.53， p < 0.0001， N = 189。不富裕、受教育程度较低、寿命较短的国家在保持较低死亡率方面也更成功， r = 0.46， p < 0.0001， N = 189，而世界上人均死亡率最高的 10 个国家中有 9 个国家是由于COVID-19 是西方社会 HDI 水平较高的国家。在对施瓦茨智力自主（或个人主义）进行测量的 76 个国家的较小样本中，在 COVID-19 感染率和死亡率之间发现了类似的正相关性，并且在嵌入性（或集体主义）方面也发现了类似程度的负相关性。东亚在预防新冠肺炎 (COVID-19) 传播方面处于全球领先地位，因为公众保持警惕，关心公共安全并遵守公共安全措施。非洲联盟领导人协调了他们的应对措施，并购买了一个覆盖整个大陆的非洲医疗用品平台，以防止对稀缺物资的恐慌性竞争。西方全球媒体和学者并未关注东亚、非洲和南太平洋地区抗击疫情的成功经验。值得一问的是，为什么会出现这种情况？了解极端个人主义在抗击疫情过程中的弱点，需要公众协调统一的应对措施，并考虑全球学者从这场疫情中吸取的教训，以便今后开展研究。