Physical distancing contains the corona virus, but compliance with physical distancing across religious minorities in Israel has been shown to be relatively poorer than in the majority population. This study tests the power of messages as drivers of willingness to comply with physical distancing across religious minorities in Israel during the first wave of the COVID-19 from March till June 2020.

896 Israeli Muslims, Druze, Bedouins, Jewish Orthodox, Christians, and Jewish Seculars participated in this conjoint-based experimental design. The size of the total sample and of the subgroups is consistent with the suggested size in conjoint analysis studies, particularly when aiming at stability of coefficients rather than stability of means. The dependent variable was ‘willingness to comply’. Independent variables were known contributors to compliance: perceived risk, practices of physical distancing, ways to assure compliance, and the agent communicating the policy.

A regression analysis indicated minor differences in the power of messages across groups despite dramatic cultural differences amongst them. We identified three distinct mindsets that transcend religious cultures from the responses of the study subjects to various messages and named them “pandemic observers,” “obedient followers,” and “sensitive interpreters.” Compliance of "Pandemic Observers" (n?=?306) may be improved by messages such as, “Dangerous virus spreading wildly” and “Health experts suggest what to do but the government is reactive rather than proactive” (??=?14, p?

Dr. Gillie Gabay is a systems science expert. She is a senior lecturer at the Achva Academic College in Israel and serves as a visiting professor in the department of health economics at Cattolica University, Rome. She obtained her Ph.D. at Portland State University, Oregon, USA.

She specializes in multi-disciplinary research. She studies psychological, behavioral, human capital and managerial processes in simple and complex systems, in various organizations and industries such as healthcare, including very large hospitals. She focuses on both the person to person level and the organizational level. Dr. Gabay has applied the science of Mind-Genomics, mapping communication messaging by mindsets to promote strategy implementation in healthcare, social capital, and patient-doctor relationships. Her research appeared in a good variety of Q1 rated academic journals focusing on the macro-level, the meso-level and the micro-level. She has also published three books on the experiences of individuals from various levels of organizations such as patients, doctors, and hospital directors. Her current international research examines processes that top executives manage, as they look ahead towards the complex future in healthcare, such as assuring the resilience of human capital, optimizing strategy effectiveness, designing organizational structures, and creating value for all stakeholders, and integrating innovation into the delivery of healthcare. Dr. Gabay is an experienced consultant who led managements through systemic changes to implement strategies, including strategies of patient-centered care.