Trust predicts COVID-19 prescribed and discretionary behavioral intentions in 23 countries

Abstract

The worldwide spread of a new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) since December 2019 has posed a severe threat to individuals’ well-being. While the world at large is waiting that the released vaccines immunize most citizens, public health experts suggest that, in the meantime, it is only through behavior change that the spread of COVID-19 can be controlled. Importantly, the required behaviors are aimed not only at safeguarding one’s own health. Instead, individuals are asked to adapt their behaviors to protect the community at large. This raises the question of which social concerns and moral principles make people willing to do so. We considered in 23 countries (N = 6948) individuals’ willingness to engage in prescribed and discretionary behaviors, as well as country-level and individual-level factors that might drive such behavioral intentions. Results from multilevel multiple regressions, with country as the nesting variable, showed that publicized number of infections were not significantly related to individual intentions to comply with the prescribed measures and intentions to engage in discretionary prosocial behaviors. Instead, psychological differences in terms of trust in government, citizens, and in particular toward science predicted individuals’ behavioral intentions across countries. The more people endorsed moral principles of fairness and care (vs. loyalty and authority), the more they were inclined to report trust in science, which, in turn, statistically predicted prescribed and discretionary behavioral intentions. Results have implications for the type of intervention and public communication strategies that should be most effective to induce the behavioral changes that are needed to control the COVID-19 outbreak.

Basic human values during the COVID-19 outbreak, perceived threat and their relationships with compliance with movement restrictions and social distancing

“…They are also in line with previous works showing that perceived threat related to COVID-19 tended to increase success for conservative political parties in France [ 31 ], but also with the model of political conservatism as motivated social cognition showing that fear of threat and loss positively predict political conservatism [ 50 ]. Furthermore, interestingly, Pagliaro et al [ 51 ] found that the actual threat posed by COVID-19 (deaths per million people) did not significantly predict individuals’ compliance with preventive behaviors. Our results thus point to the importance to distinguish perceived (in our study) and actual (Pagliaro et al’s [ 51 ] study) threat when it comes to consider the links between threat and compliance with movement restrictions.…”

“…Furthermore, interestingly, Pagliaro et al [ 51 ] found that the actual threat posed by COVID-19 (deaths per million people) did not significantly predict individuals’ compliance with preventive behaviors. Our results thus point to the importance to distinguish perceived (in our study) and actual (Pagliaro et al’s [ 51 ] study) threat when it comes to consider the links between threat and compliance with movement restrictions.…”

Job Demands and Negative Outcomes after the Lockdown: The Moderating Role of Stigma towards Italian Supermarket Workers

“…The overall equation was significant, R 2 = 0.31, F(4, 303) = 34.89, p < 0.000. Crucially for the present purpose, the job demands by non-acceptance interaction significantly increased the explained variance [∆R 2 Globally, the three dimensions of stigma towards customers (fear, discrimination and not acceptance) affect the relationship between Job demand and fatigue at different levels [Hp2a confirmed; see Table 2]. ∆R 2 = 0.02 *** Supported…”

“…The conceptualisation of stigma has an extensive background; it is defined as a social process characterised by stereotyping, labelling, avoiding and discrimination towards specific categories or individuals [41]. The rapid spread of SarsCov2 saw a concurrent rise in feelings of fear and distrust that gradually overwhelmed entire countries around the world, with the increase in infections, restrictive measures to avoid infections and constantly updated media information [2].…”

“…The emotional and behavioural reactions of the individuals on the front line during the COVID-19 lockdown and non-lockdown phases, as well as those of the population, have been the subject of scientific interest for the implementation of institutional and health communication processes, and for the study of the environmental determinants to be being able to control and to better manage the pandemic phase [1,2].…”