People from individualist cultures typically have an analytic thinking style and prioritize individualism. People from collectivist cultures typically give elders the authoritative role, emphasizing respect for the older population. Furthermore, they view themselves as more interdependent and value group harmony.

Individualist vs. Collectivist Cultures

Low PDB countries have a less hierarchical society, not emphasizing class or power status to maintain equality among the people. High PDB environments prioritize social structure. 

Low vs. High Power Distance Beliefs (PDB) Countries

A moderate correlation between economic development and importance of survival probability was found (r = 0.593, p = 0.055). A negative correlation between prosperity and importance of criminal records was calculated (r = -0.0580, p = 0.061). This was assumed to be because more prosperous countries can tolerate immoral behaviors better. 

Influence of Economic Development on Social Preferences in Allocation Decision

The study looked more specifically at two factors that contribute to cross-country differences as they influence moral decisions and how the citizens of a country behave. The two main factors are:
- Cultural dimensions (Individualism vs. collectivism and power distance beliefs, PDB) 
- Economic development (GDP per capita)

University of Pittsburgh

Results on the importance of the different characteristics were found on three levels:
- Global
- Country
- Individual

Who Gets the Ventilator? Study Results

Jin, L., Huang, Y., Liang, Y., & Zhang, Q. (2020). Who Gets the Ventilator? Moral Decision Making Regarding Medical Resource Allocation in a Pandemic. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research. doi:10.1086/711734

Who Gets the Ventilator? Moral Decision Making Regarding Medical Resource Allocation in a Pandemic

People gave the most weight to age and probability of survival, which matches up with the hypothesis and what previous research has found. The remaining attributes were weighted much less and did not differ significantly from one another. However, it is important to note that the 8 attributes collectively weighed about 50%, showing their effect on global preferences. 

Global Social Preferences in Allocation Decisions

Country Level Social Preferences

The state of the pandemic and characteristics of the decision maker themselves could impact their decisions and place more utility value, or worth, on an attribute. Characteristics of the study participant include:
- Gender
- Education level
- Income
- Age
- Political stance
- Religious beliefs

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