Keeping each other safe: A social identity account of Canadian responses to COVID-19.

Abstract

Community mitigation strategies in a pandemic rely largely on individuals' voluntary compliance with public health measures (e.g., social and physical distancing). That these measures are crucial from a societal and community perspective-not just as means of self-protection-suggests that a sense of solidarity encourages their adoption by individuals. We conceptualized Canadians' responses early in the COVID-19 crisis as a form of collective action motivated by the perceived threat of the novel coronavirus, national identification, and efficacy beliefs (e.g., people's sense that their actions would make a difference in "flattening the curve" of infections). Analyses of responses of a cross-sectional sample of Canadians (N = 499) in April 2020 provided support for effects derived from this social identity account: perceived threat predicted Canadian national identification, and both threat and identification were positively associated with efficacy beliefs, which in turn predicted endorsement of public health measures. We highlight the roles of social identification and efficacy beliefs with a focus on how they might be incorporated into public health messaging. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (French) Les strategies communautaires d'attenuation des effets d'une pandemie reposent en grande partie sur l'adhesion de la population aux mesures de sante publique (par exemple, la distanciation sociale et physique). Le fait que ces mesures soient cruciales d'un point de vue societal et communautaire-et pas seulement comme moyen d'autoprotection-suggere qu'un sentiment de solidarite favorise leur adoption par les individus. Nous avons conceptualise les reponses des Canadiens au debut de la crise de la COVID-19 comme une forme d'action collective motivee par la menace percue du nouveau coronavirus, l'identification nationale et les sentiments d'auto-efficacite (par exemple, le sentiment des gens que leurs actions feraient une difference pour << aplanir la courbe des infections). Les analyses des reponses d'un echantillon transversal de Canadiens (N = 499) en avril 2020 ont confirme les effets derives de ce concept d'identite sociale : la menace percue a predit l'identification nationale canadienne, et la menace et l'identification ont ete positivement associees aux sentiments d'auto-efficacite, qui a leur tour ont predit l'adoption des mesures de sante publique. Nous soulignons les roles de l'identification sociale et des sentiments d'auto-efficacite en nous concentrant sur la facon dont ils pourraient etre incorpores dans les messages de sante publique. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) Impact Statement Successful responses to the COVID-19 crisis required widespread acceptance of public health measures such as social distancing. This study showed that Canadians' endorsement of these measures was related to the perceived threat of the novel coronavirus, their national identification, and their sense that their own behaviours would make a difference in "flattening the curve" of infections. Thus, public health messages that highlight solidarity and collective responsibility may be effective means of encouraging compliance. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)