The importance of (shared) human values for containing the Covid-19 pandemic

Wolf, Lukas J., Haddock, Geoffrey ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5293-2772, Manstead, Antony S. R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7540-2096 and Maio, Gregory R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5408-5829 2020. The importance of (shared) human values for containing the Covid-19 pandemic. British Journal of Social Psychology 59 (3) , pp. 618-627. 10.1111/bjso.12401

Preview

PDF - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (312kB) | Preview

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic poses an exceptional challenge for humanity. Because public behaviour is key to curbing the pandemic at an early stage, it is important for social psychological researchers to use their knowledge to promote behaviours that help manage the crisis. Here, we identify human values as particularly important in driving both behavioural compliance to government guidelines and promoting prosocial behaviours to alleviate the strains arising from a prolonged pandemic. Existing evidence demonstrates the importance of human values, and the extent to which they are sharedby fellow citizens, for tackling the Covid-19 crisis. Individuals who attach higher importance to self-transcendence (e.g., responsibility) and conservation (e.g., security) values are likely to be more compliant with Covid-19 behavioural guidelines and to help others who are struggling with the crisis. Further, believing that fellow citizens share one’s values has been found to elicit a sense of connectedness that may be crucial in promoting collective efforts to contain the pandemic. The abstract nature of values, and cross-cultural agreement on their importance, suggests that they are ideally suited to developing and tailoring effective, global interventions to combat this pandemic.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Psychology
Publisher:	Wiley
ISSN:	0144-6665
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	15 June 2020
Date of Acceptance:	10 June 2020
Last Modified:	25 Jul 2024 13:14
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/132438

Citation Data

Cited 118 times in Scopus. View in Scopus. Powered By Scopus® Data

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item