ATTITUDES TOWARDS GLOBALIZATION, LIFE SATISFACTION, AND FEAR OF COVID-19 INFECTION. COMPARISON OF EMERGING AND OLDER ADULTS

Abstract

Attitudes toward globalization are shaped by people’s direct experience with it. The COVID-19 pandemic can arguably be understood as a negative manifestation of globalization. The purpose of this study was to examine whether fear of COVID-19 infection and life satisfaction could be predictors of attitudes toward globalization. The study was crosssectional in nature and utilized intergroup comparison analysis and hierarchical regression analysis. Emerging adults (n = 157) and seniors (n = 119) were compared. Higher levels of accepting attitudes toward globalization were observed among the emerging adults, while a fear of contracting COVID-19 was found to be higher among seniors. In both study groups, a fearful attitude towards globalization was positively associated with fear of COVID-19 infection, and life satisfaction was negatively associated with infection. In addition, respondents viewed the COVID-19 pandemic itself as a negative manifestation of globalization.