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A Stranger or a Friend?

Lalot, Fanny, Abrams, Dominic (2023) A Stranger or a Friend? Zeitschrift für Psychologie, 231 (2). pp. 149-160. ISSN 2190-8370. E-ISSN 2151-2604. (doi:10.1027/2151-2604/a000524) (KAR id:101960)

Abstract

A growing volume of work suggests a positive impact of descriptive norms on health-protective behavior in the COVID-19 pandemic. However, past work has often been correlational and has rarely compared the effect of different group norms. In the present paper, we present the results of a longitudinal study ( N = 1,051) that addresses these gaps by testing the cross-sectional and cross-lagged effects of norms and directly compared three different norms (close circle, neighborhood, and country) on compliance with COVID-19 regulations. The results revealed a positive effect of the close-circle norm (associated with more compliant behavior both cross-sectionally and longitudinally), no effect of the neighborhood norm, and a negative effect of the national norm (associated with less compliant behavior). Compliant behavior also led to a greater close-circle norm longitudinally, suggesting that both feed into each other. We discuss not only the challenges but also the chances this research highlights for norm-based interventions.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1027/2151-2604/a000524
Projects: Beyond Us and Them
Uncontrolled keywords: General psychology; arts and humanities (miscellaneous); compliance; COVID-19; descriptive norms; social influence; social norms
Subjects: H Social Sciences
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Psychology
Funders: Nuffield Foundation (https://ror.org/0281jqk77)
SWORD Depositor: JISC Publications Router
Depositing User: JISC Publications Router
Date Deposited: 01 Aug 2023 10:18 UTC
Last Modified: 09 Jan 2024 05:42 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/101960 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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