Trust predicts COVID-19 prescribed and discretionary behavioral intentions in 23 countries

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0248334
• Publication Date: 2021-03-10T18:35:57Z
• Authors: Stefano Pagliaro; Simona Sacchi; Maria Giuseppina ...; Marco Brambilla; Francesca Lionetti; Karim Bettache; Mauro Bianchi; Marco Biella; Virginie Bonnot; Mihaela Boza; Fabrizio Butera; Suzan Ceylan-Batur; Kristy Chong; Tatiana Chopova; Charlie R. Crimston; Belén Álvarez; Isabel Cuadrado; Naomi Ellemers; Magdalena Formano...; Verena Graupmann; Theofilos Gkinopo...; Evelyn Hye Kyung ...; Inga Jasinskaja-L...; Jolanda Jetten; Kabir Muhib Bin; Yanhui Mao; Christine McCoy; Farah Mehnaz; Anca Minescu; David Sirlopú; Andrej Simić; Giovanni Travaglino; Ayse K. Uskul; Cinzia Zanetti; Anna Zinn; Elena Zubieta
• Keywords: Prosocial Behavior; Safeguarding

The worldwide spread of a new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) since December 2019 has posed severe threat to individuals’ well-being. While the world at large is waiting that released vaccines immunize most citizens, public health experts suggest that, in meantime, it only through behavior change COVID-19 can be controlled. Importantly, required behaviors are aimed not safeguarding one’s own health. Instead, individuals asked adapt their protect community large. This raises question which social concerns and moral principles make people willing do so. We considered 23 countries ( N = 6948) willingness engage prescribed discretionary behaviors, as well country-level individual-level factors might drive such behavioral intentions. Results from multilevel multiple regressions, with country nesting variable, showed publicized number infections were significantly related individual intentions comply measures prosocial behaviors. psychological differences terms trust government, particular toward science predicted across countries. more endorsed fairness care (vs. loyalty authority), they inclined report science, which, turn, statistically have implications for type intervention communication strategies should effective induce changes needed control outbreak.