Dangers and Strangers: Pathogenic threat, fear, and perceived vulnerability do not predict ethnocentric orientations during the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe.

Abstract

The varying trajectories of the COVID-19 pandemic in different nations present a unique opportunity to study the influences of a global stressor and local environmental pathogen levels on psychological variables, which has been proposed by theoretical frameworks such as the Parasite Model of Democratization. Previous research has postulated effects on in-group/out-group thinking: The higher the environmental pathogenic threat and the perceived vulnerability to it, the higher the ethnocentric orientation.Here, we examine participants from Austria, Poland, Spain and Czech Republic in spring 2020, as the spread of the novel coronavirus was on the rise and strict governmental measures were introduced throughout Europe. Participants were asked to fill in standardized questionnaires assessing ethnocentrism as well as questions on social interactions and fear of the virus. To investigate the relationship between ethnocentrism and these other variables, we used machine-learning models to predict ethnocentrism based on the complex interplay of interpersonal variables and environmental conditions.Our results indicate that ethnocentricity could not be predicted from these other variables, thus not supporting the hypothesis that pathogenic threat influences ethnocentric orientations. While our findings on the relation between ethnocentrism and environmental threats are not in line with previous studies, they might inspire further research on this topic during this pandemic.

Individual Disgust and Collective Anxiety: A Two-Layer Framework of the Behavioral Immune System

“…High prevalence rates of infectious diseases, for example, have been correlated with the adoption of more conservative cultural norms and ideologies (Tybur et al, 2010;Schaller & Murray, 2011;Terrizzi Jr et al, 2013;Murray & Schaller, 2016;Sng et al, 2018;O'Shea et al, 2022). However, this viewpoint has been met with challenges that question the causal relationship between pathogens and cultural shaping (Bromham et al, 2018;Eder et al, 2020;Ross & Winterhalder, 2016). Additionally, research suggests that factors like genetic similarity and mortality rates also significantly impact behavioral ecosystems (Sng et al, 2018).…”