Belief in the importance of socially responsible behaviors – the significance of trust and personal experiences with Covid-19

Abstract

A vast number of studies have shown that trust is related to socially desirable traits and behaviors. In the present research we have investigated the relationship between generalized trust and beliefs about the importance of socially responsible behaviors (SRB) during the pandemic – namely, following the sanitary regime and getting vaccinated. Basing on the previous findings we assumed that trustful people would be more convinced of the benefits of complying with the pandemic restrictions and getting vaccinated. The hypothesis stated that people with high levels of trust who had COVID-19 or whose close persons had been infected would be the most likely to believe in socially responsible behaviors. We recruited 405 people from the general population (age range 18–65) to participate in an online study conducted via a research platform. The analysis using linear regression has shown that people, whose close persons had suffered from COVID-19 were more inclined to believe in the importance of SRB. The level of trust also predicted the beliefs about the importance of socially responsible behaviors in mitigating the pandemic. Trust was positively related to SRB, except for people whose close persons had been infected with COVID-19. Regardless of the level of trust, people with such experience tended to assess SRB as important to combat the pandemic. These results have shed light on the importance of trust in developing the strategy of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

Seeing COVID‐19 is believing: Direct and indirect experiences with COVID‐19 predict health behaviors through conspiracy beliefs and risk perception

“…Yet, more direct evidence further illuminates the role of indirect experience. Jasielska et al (2022) measured participants' indirect experiences (e.g., having a loved one who was infected by COVID‐19) as a correlate of PHBs, and in line with the findings from Dryhurst et al (2020), found these experiences to be positively associated with PHB compliance. Simply experiencing the virus—or knowing someone who has experienced the virus—firsthand seems to be an important factor in predicting both risk perception and, consequently, PHBs.…”

Appearance Schemas Inventory–Revised: Validation on a Polish Sample

“…In future studies, it would be advisable to add control questions to make sure that participants are actually attentive to the material (such as self-report indicators, bogus items, and instructed items; DeSimone & Harms, 2018). While studies on data from panels are gaining popularity (Federico et al, 2021;Jasielska et al, 2022;Zagefka, 2021), it is important to note the specificity of this form of recruitment. It would be advisable to replicate these results in other cultures, including countries with different characteristics on cultural dimensions (Hofstede et al, 2010), to check whether the ASI-R scale is culturally sensitive.…”

Maintaining social trust: Family cohesion and enhancing mindset in the face of COVID‐19 stress

“…Indeed, both acute and chronic stressors impair the ability to assess the credibility of information, leading to a state of negative attention bias (Beck, 2005;Lenow et al, 2018). This carries troubling implications for not only future public health crises where cooperation with others will be paramount (Jasielska et al, 2023;J. Min, 2020;Sarracino et al, 2022;Yuan et al, 2022) but also for people's social interactions and relationships.…”