Collectively coping with coronavirus: Local community identification predicts giving support and lockdown adherence during the COVID‐19 pandemic

The role of shared identity in predicting both ingroup helping behaviour and adherence to protective norms during COVID‐19 has been extensively theorized, but remains largely under‐investigated. We build upon previous Social Identity research into community resilience by testing the role of pre‐exis...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:British journal of social psychology 2021-10, Vol.60 (4), p.1403-1418
Main Authors: Stevenson, Clifford, Wakefield, Juliet R. H., Felsner, Isabelle, Drury, John, Costa, Sebastiano
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adherence
Behavioral responses
community
Community development
Community research
Coping
COVID-19
Group identity
helping
Helping behavior
Neighborhoods
norms
Original
Pandemics
Perceived social support
Residents
Resilience
Roles
Social identity
Social support
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Summary:The role of shared identity in predicting both ingroup helping behaviour and adherence to protective norms during COVID‐19 has been extensively theorized, but remains largely under‐investigated. We build upon previous Social Identity research into community resilience by testing the role of pre‐existing local community (or ‘neighbourhood’) identity as a predictor of these outcomes, via the mediator of perceived social support. Community residents in the UK completed a longitudinal online survey four months before lockdown (T1; N = 253), one month before lockdown (T2; N = 217), and two months into lockdown (T3; N = 149). The cross‐lagged panel analysis shows that T1 community identification predicts T3 giving and receiving of pandemic‐related support, and that these effects occur via the perception of community support at the second time point (while the alternative pathway from T1 support via T2 identification is non‐significant). Moreover, we show that T1 community identification also directly predicts lockdown adherence at T3. Our findings point to the pivotal role played by community identity in effective behavioural responses to the pandemic, and the need to support and foster community development to facilitate local community resilience as the crisis continues to unfold.
ISSN:0144-6665
2044-8309
DOI:10.1111/bjso.12457