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; Farin Bakhtiari; Conrad Baldner; Erica Molinario; Antonio Pierro; Michele J. Gelfand; Emmy Denison; Maximilian Agostini; Jocelyn J. Bélanger; Ben Gützkow; Jannis Kreienkamp; Georgios Abakoumkin; Jamilah Hanum Abdul Khaiyom; Vjollca Ahmedi; Handan Akkas; Carlos A. Almenara; Mohsin Atta; Sabahat Cigdem Bagci; Sima Basel; Edona Berisha Kida; Allan B.I. Bernardo; Nicholas R. Buttrick; Phatthanakit Chobthamkit; Hoon-Seok Choi; Mioara Cristea; Sára Csaba; Kaja Damnjanovic; Ivan Danyliuk; Arobindu Dash; Karen M. Douglas; Violeta Enea; Daiane Gracieli Faller; Gavan J. Fitzsimons; Alexandra Gheorghiu; Ángel Gómez; Ali Hamaidia; Qing Han; Mai Helmy; Joevarian Hudiyana; Bertus F. Jeronimus; Ding-Yu Jiang; Veljko Jovanović; Željka Kamenov; Anna Kende; Shian-Ling Keng; Tra Thi Thanh Kieu; Yasin Koc; Kamila Kovyazina; Inna Kozytska; Joshua Krause; Arie W. Kruglanski; Anton Kurapov; Maja Kutlaca; Nóra Anna Lantos; Edward P. Lemay; Cokorda Bagus Jaya Lesmana; Winnifred R. Louis; Adrian Lueders; Najma Iqbal Malik; Anton Martinez; Kira O. McCabe; Jasmina Mehulić; Mirra Noor Milla; Idris Mohammed; Manuel Moyano; Hayat Muhammad; Hamdi Muluk; Solomiia Myroniuk; Reza Najafi; Claudia F. Nisa; Boglárka Nyúl; Paul A. O'Keefe; Jose Javier Olivas Osuna; Evgeny N. Osin; Joonha Park; Gennaro Pica; Jonas H. Rees; Anne Margit Reitsema; Marika Rullo; Michelle K. Ryan; Adil Samekin; Pekka Santtila; Edyta Sasin; Birga Mareen Schumpe; Heyla A. Selim; Michael Vicente Stanton; Wolfgang Stroebe; Samiah Sultana; Robbie M. Sutton; Eleftheria Tseliou; Akira Utsugi; Jolien Anne van Breen; Caspar J. van Lissa; Kees Van Veen; Michelle R. vanDellen; Alexandra Vázquez; Robin Wollast; Victoria Wai-lan Yeung; Somayeh Zand; Iris Lav Žeželj; Bang Zheng; Andreas Zick; Claudia Zúñiga; N. Pontus Leander

doi:10.1016/j.cresp.2021.100028

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Concern with COVID-19 pandemic threat and attitudes towards immigrants: The mediating effect of the desire for tightness

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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, Farin Bakhtiari, Conrad Baldner, Erica Molinario, Antonio Pierro, Michele J. Gelfand, Emmy Denison, Maximilian Agostini, …

Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology, Vol.3, pp.100028-100028

2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cresp.2021.100028

PMID: 35098189

Abstract

COVID-19

Desire for tightness

Negative attitudes

Threat

•We examined links between COVID-19 threat, tightness, attitudes towards immigrants.•Cross-sectional and longitudinal models were used (N = 55,015 from 41 countries).•Those who were most concerned about COVID-19 threat desired more tightness.•Those who most desired tightness had more negative attitudes towards immigrants. 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. [Display omitted]

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Title: Concern with COVID-19 pandemic threat and attitudes towards immigrants: The mediating effect of the desire for tightness
Creators: Silvana Mula - Sapienza University of Rome
Daniela Di Santo - Sapienza University of Rome
Elena Resta - Sapienza University of Rome
Farin Bakhtiari - The University of Texas at Austin
Conrad Baldner - Sapienza University of Rome
Erica Molinario - Florida Gulf Coast University
Antonio Pierro - Sapienza University of Rome
Michele J. Gelfand - University of Maryland, College Park
Emmy Denison - University of Maryland, College Park
Maximilian Agostini - University Medical Center Groningen
Jocelyn J. Bélanger - New York University Abu Dhabi
Ben Gützkow - University Medical Center Groningen
Jannis Kreienkamp - University Medical Center Groningen
Georgios Abakoumkin - University of Thessaly
Jamilah Hanum Abdul Khaiyom - International Islamic University Malaysia
Vjollca Ahmedi - Pristine University
Handan Akkas - Ankara University
Carlos A. Almenara - Peruvian University of Applied Sciences
Mohsin Atta - University of Sargodha
Sabahat Cigdem Bagci - Sabancı Üniversitesi
Sima Basel - New York University Abu Dhabi
Edona Berisha Kida - Pristine University
Allan B.I. Bernardo - De La Salle University
Nicholas R. Buttrick - University of Virginia
Phatthanakit Chobthamkit - Thammasat University
Hoon-Seok Choi - Sungkyunkwan University
Mioara Cristea - Heriot-Watt University
Sára Csaba - Eötvös Loránd University
Kaja Damnjanovic - University of Belgrade
Ivan Danyliuk - Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
Arobindu Dash - Leuphana University of Lüneburg
Karen M. Douglas - University of Kent
Violeta Enea - Alexandru Ioan Cuza University
Daiane Gracieli Faller - New York University Abu Dhabi
Gavan J. Fitzsimons - Duke University
Alexandra Gheorghiu - Alexandru Ioan Cuza University
Ángel Gómez - Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia
Ali Hamaidia - Setif 2 University
Qing Han - Ankara University
Mai Helmy - Menoufia University
Joevarian Hudiyana - Universitas Indonesia
Bertus F. Jeronimus - University of Groningen
Ding-Yu Jiang - National Chung Cheng University
Veljko Jovanović - University of Novi Sad
Željka Kamenov - University of Zagreb
Anna Kende - Eötvös Loránd University
Shian-Ling Keng - Yale-NUS College
Tra Thi Thanh Kieu - HCMC University of Education
Yasin Koc - University of Groningen
Kamila Kovyazina - Indipendent researcher, Kazakhstan
Inna Kozytska - Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
Joshua Krause - University of Groningen
Arie W. Kruglanski - University of Maryland, College Park
Anton Kurapov - Sapienza University of Rome
Maja Kutlaca - Durham University
Nóra Anna Lantos - Eötvös Loránd University
Edward P. Lemay - University of Maryland, College Park
Cokorda Bagus Jaya Lesmana - Udayana University
Winnifred R. Louis - The University of Queensland
Adrian Lueders - University of Limerick
Najma Iqbal Malik - University of Sargodha
Anton Martinez - Sapienza University of Rome
Kira O. McCabe - Carleton University
Jasmina Mehulić - University of Zagreb
Mirra Noor Milla - Universitas Indonesia
Idris Mohammed - Usmanu Danfodiyo University
Manuel Moyano - University of Cordoba
Hayat Muhammad - University of Peshawar
Hamdi Muluk - Universitas Indonesia
Solomiia Myroniuk - University of Groningen
Reza Najafi - Islamic Azad University Rasht Branch
Claudia F. Nisa - New York University Abu Dhabi
Boglárka Nyúl - Eötvös Loránd University
Paul A. O'Keefe - Yale-NUS College
Jose Javier Olivas Osuna - National Distance Education University (UNED)
Evgeny N. Osin - National Research University Higher School of Economics
Joonha Park - NUCB Business School
Gennaro Pica - Università di Camerino
Jonas H. Rees - University of Bielefeld
Anne Margit Reitsema - University of Groningen
Marika Rullo - University of Siena
Michelle K. Ryan - University of Groningen
Adil Samekin - Maqsut Narikbayev University
Pekka Santtila - New York University Shanghai
Edyta Sasin - New York University Abu Dhabi
Birga Mareen Schumpe - University of Amsterdam
Heyla A. Selim - King Saud University
Michael Vicente Stanton - California State University, East Bay
Wolfgang Stroebe - University of Groningen
Samiah Sultana - University of Groningen
Robbie M. Sutton - University of Kent
Eleftheria Tseliou - University of Thessaly
Akira Utsugi - Nagoya University
Jolien Anne van Breen - Leiden University
Caspar J. van Lissa - Utrecht University
Kees Van Veen - University of Groningen
Michelle R. vanDellen - University of Georgia
Alexandra Vázquez - Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia
Robin Wollast - Université Clermont-Auvergne
Victoria Wai-lan Yeung - Lingnan University
Somayeh Zand - University of Milano-Bicocca
Iris Lav Žeželj - University of Belgrade
Bang Zheng - Imperial College London
Andreas Zick - Bielefeld University
Claudia Zúñiga - Universidad de Chile
N. Pontus Leander - University of Groningen
Publication Details: Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology, Vol.3, pp.100028-100028
Publisher: Elsevier B.V; AMSTERDAM
Number of pages: 8
Identifiers: 99383895128106570
Academic Unit: Department of Psychology
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

Concern with COVID-19 pandemic threat and attitudes towards immigrants: The mediating effect of the desire for tightness

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