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

StatusVoR
Simple item page
cris.lastimport.scopus2025-08-29T03:10:16Z
dc.abstract.enUnderstanding 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.
dc.affiliationInstitute of Psychology
dc.affiliationInstytut Psychologii
dc.contributor.authorNezlek, John
dc.contributor.authorBoggio, Paulo S.
dc.contributor.authorAlfano, Mark
dc.contributor.authorAzevedo, Flavio
dc.contributor.authorCapraro, Valerio
dc.contributor.authorCichocka, Aleksandra
dc.contributor.authorPärnamets, Philip
dc.contributor.authorRego, Gabriel Gaudencio
dc.contributor.authorSampaio, Waldir M.
dc.contributor.authorSjåstad, Hallgeir
dc.contributor.authorVan Bavel, Jay J.
dc.date.access2024-01-19
dc.date.accessioned2024-01-19T10:21:59Z
dc.date.available2024-01-19T10:21:59Z
dc.date.created2023-01-10
dc.date.issued2024-01
dc.description.abstract<jats:p> 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. </jats:p>
dc.description.accesstimeafter_publication
dc.description.issue1
dc.description.physical178-195
dc.description.versionfinal_published
dc.description.volume27
dc.identifier.doi10.1177/13684302231153800
dc.identifier.issn1368-4302
dc.identifier.issn1461-7188
dc.identifier.urihttps://share.swps.edu.pl/handle/swps/392
dc.languageen
dc.pbn.affiliationpsychologia
dc.rightsClosedAccess
dc.rights.explanationArtykuł płatny
dc.rights.questionNo_rights
dc.share.articleOTHER
dc.subject.encooperation
dc.subject.enCOVID-19
dc.subject.enmoral circles
dc.subject.enmoral identity
dc.subject.enmorality
dc.subject.enpandemic
dc.subject.enpublic health
dc.swps.sciencecloudsend
dc.titleA 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
dc.title.journalGroup Processes &amp; Intergroup Relations
dc.typeJournalArticle
dspace.entity.typeArticle