: Tightening social norms is thought to be adaptive for dealing with collective threat yet it may have negative consequences for increasing prejudice. The present research investigated the role of desire for cultural tightness, triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, in increasing negative attitudes towards immigrants. We used participant-level data from 41 countries (N = 55,015) collected as part of the PsyCorona project, a cross-national longitudinal study on responses to COVID-19. Our predictions were tested through multilevel and SEM models, treating participants as nested within countries. Results showed that people's concern with COVID-19 threat was related to greater desire for tightness which, in turn, was linked to more negative attitudes towards immigrants. These findings were followed up with a longitudinal model (N = 2,349) which also showed that people's heightened concern with COVID-19 in an earlier stage of the pandemic was associated with an increase in their desire for tightness and negative attitudes towards immigrants later in time. Our findings offer insight into the trade-offs that tightening social norms under collective threat has for human groups.
Concern with {COVID}-19 pandemic threat and attitudes towards immigrants: The mediating effect of the desire for tightness / Mula, Silvana; DI SANTO, Daniela; Resta, Elena; Bakhtiari, Farin; Baldner, Conrad; Molinario, Erica; Pierro, Antonio; Gelfand, Michele J.; Denison, Emmy; Agostini, Maximilian; B('(e))langer, Jocelyn J.; Gã¼tzkow, Ben; Kreienkamp, Jannis; Abakoumkin, Georgios; Hanum Abdul Khaiyom, Jamilah; Ahmedi, Vjollca; Akkas, Handan; Almenara, Carlos A.; Atta, Mohsin; Cigdem Bagci, Sabahat; Basel, Sima; Berisha Kida, Edona; Bernardo, Allan B. I.; Buttrick, Nicholas R.; Chobthamkit, Phatthanakit; Choi, Hoon-Seok; Cristea, Mioara; Csaba, S('(a))ra; Damnjanovic, Kaja; Danyliuk, Ivan; Dash, Arobindu; Douglas, Karen M.; Enea, Violeta; Gracieli Faller, Daiane; Fitzsimons, Gavan J.; Gheorghiu ('(A))ngel G('(o))mez, Alexandra; Hamaidia, Ali; Han, Qing; Helmy, Mai; Hudiyana, Joevarian; Jeronimus, Bertus F.; Jiang, Ding-Yu; Jovanovi('(c)) ((Z))eljka Kamenov, Veljko; Kende, Anna; Keng, Shian-Ling; Thi Thanh Kieu, Tra; Koc, Yasin; Kovyazina, Kamila; Kozytska, Inna; Krause, Joshua; Kruglanski, Arie W.; Kurapov, Anton; Kutlaca, Maja; Anna Lantos, N('(o))ra; Lemay, Edward P.; Bagus Jaya Lesmana, Cokorda; Louis, Winnifred R.; Lueders, Adrian; Iqbal Malik, Najma; Martinez, Anton; Mccabe, Kira O.; Mehuli('(c)), Jasmina; Noor Milla, Mirra; Mohammed, Idris; Moyano, Manuel; Muhammad, Hayat; Muluk, Hamdi; Myroniuk, Solomiia; Najafi, Reza; Nisa, Claudia F.; Ny('(u))l, Bogl('(a))rka; O( extquotesingle)Keefe, Paul A.; Javier Olivas Osuna, Jose; Osin, Evgeny N.; Park, Joonha; Pica, Gennaro; Rees, Jonas H.; Margit Reitsema, Anne; Rullo, Marika; Ryan, Michelle K.; Samekin, Adil; Santtila, Pekka; Sasin, Edyta; Mareen Schumpe, Birga; Selim, Heyla A.; Vicente Stanton, Michael; Stroebe, Wolfgang; Sultana, Samiah; Sutton, Robbie M.; Tseliou, Eleftheria; Utsugi, Akira; Anne van Breen, Jolien; van Lissa, Caspar J.; Van Veen, Kees; Vandellen, Michelle R.; V('(a))zquez, Alexandra; Wollast, Robin; Wai-lan Yeung, Victoria; Zand, Somayeh; Lav ((Z))e((z))elj, Iris; Zheng, Bang; Zick, Andreas; Z('(u))(~(n))iga, Claudia; Pontus Leander, N.. - In: CURRENT RESEARCH IN ECOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY. - ISSN 2666-6227. - 3:(2022), p. 100028. [10.1016/j.cresp.2021.100028]
Concern with {COVID}-19 pandemic threat and attitudes towards immigrants: The mediating effect of the desire for tightness
Silvana Mula
;Daniela Di Santo;Elena Resta;Conrad Baldner;Antonio Pierro;
2022
Abstract
: Tightening social norms is thought to be adaptive for dealing with collective threat yet it may have negative consequences for increasing prejudice. The present research investigated the role of desire for cultural tightness, triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, in increasing negative attitudes towards immigrants. We used participant-level data from 41 countries (N = 55,015) collected as part of the PsyCorona project, a cross-national longitudinal study on responses to COVID-19. Our predictions were tested through multilevel and SEM models, treating participants as nested within countries. Results showed that people's concern with COVID-19 threat was related to greater desire for tightness which, in turn, was linked to more negative attitudes towards immigrants. These findings were followed up with a longitudinal model (N = 2,349) which also showed that people's heightened concern with COVID-19 in an earlier stage of the pandemic was associated with an increase in their desire for tightness and negative attitudes towards immigrants later in time. Our findings offer insight into the trade-offs that tightening social norms under collective threat has for human groups.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
