A time for moral actions: Moral identity, morality-as-cooperation and moral circles predict support of collective action to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in an international sample

Understanding what factors are linked to public health behavior in a global pandemic is critical to mobilizing an effective public health response. Although public policy and health messages are often framed through the lens of individual benefit, many of the behavioral strategies needed to combat a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Group processes & intergroup relations 2024-01, Vol.27 (1), p.178-195
Main Authors: Boggio, Paulo S., Nezlek, John B., Alfano, Mark, Azevedo, Flavio, Capraro, Valerio, Cichocka, Aleksandra, Pärnamets, Philip, Rego, Gabriel Gaudencio, Sampaio, Waldir M., Sjåstad, Hallgeir, Van Bavel, Jay J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavioral responses
Collective action
Cooperation
COVID-19
Folkhälsovetenskap, global hälsa, socialmedicin och epidemiologi
Health behavior
Health care policy
Hälsovetenskap
Identity
Medicin och hälsovetenskap
Mobility
Morality
Pandemics
Policy making
Public health
Public policy
Sacrifices
Welfare
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Summary:Understanding what factors are linked to public health behavior in a global pandemic is critical to mobilizing an effective public health response. Although public policy and health messages are often framed through the lens of individual benefit, many of the behavioral strategies needed to combat a pandemic require individual sacrifices to benefit the collective welfare. Therefore, we examined the relationship between individuals’ morality and their support for public health measures. In a large-scale study with samples from 68 countries worldwide (Study 1; N = 46,576), we found robust evidence that moral identity, morality-as-cooperation, and moral circles are each positively related to people’s willingness to engage in public health behaviors and policy support. Together, these moral dispositions accounted for 9.8%, 10.2%, and 6.2% of support for limiting contact, improving hygiene, and supporting policy change, respectively. These morality variables (Study 2) and Schwartz’s values dimensions (Study 3) were also associated with behavioral responses across 42 countries in the form of reduced physical mobility during the pandemic. These results suggest that morality may help mobilize citizens to support public health policy.
ISSN:1368-4302
1461-7188
DOI:10.1177/13684302231153800