Engaging with Distant Suffering Amid a Domestic Crisis: Exposure to Messages About COVID-19 Infections in the Global South Can Trigger Pro-Social Responses in the Global North

Abstract

ABSTRACT Transnational solidarity is essential during global crises, particularly for resource-deprived countries. This study investigated whether messages about rising COVID−19 infections in the Global South can raise awareness and trigger solidarity among audiences in the Global North during an acute domestic crisis. Moreover, it tested whether the effects depend on the message framing. In two 2 + 1 experiments in the first months of the pandemic, participants from Germany were exposed to messages that informed them about rising infections in India. I found that message exposure made the threat to the population in the Global South more salient, increased empathy with the affected, resulted in a stronger intention to directly help, and tentatively led to more support of a government response. Whether messages framed rising infections as a humanitarian catastrophe for the Indian population or as a threat to the German population due to the increased likelihood of a virus mutation resulted in nuanced differences, yet overall, effects were more similar than expected. The priming of existing beliefs about the Global South, the particular context of a pandemic, the strength of the communicated threat, and study timing are discussed as potential explanations. Overall, the results underline how important it is to continue reporting about regions that seem distant or even peripheral from the perspective of the Global North in times of domestic crisis. The theoretical relevance of the findings beyond the specific historical context is highlighted.