RAPID: Changes in Social Attitudes and Behavior in Response to COVID-19

对许多美国公民来说，2019年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）的威胁迅速增加，导致了广泛的行为改变，包括保持社交距离和自我隔离。确定预测不愿从事预防性健康行为的社会和心理因素对于制定减少广泛疾病的战略至关重要。该项目确定了与预防性行为改变相关的社会心理因素，从而突出哪些人可能更容易感染和传播COVID-19以及未来的传染病。这项研究将为旨在增加减少病原体传播的预防性健康行为的干预措施提供信息。COVID-19的威胁也改变了许多社会态度，包括对亚裔等特定群体的偏见。这个项目将揭示这种社会变化对政策、国际关系和个人决策的长期影响。该项目告知并推进了对人类行为免疫系统（BIS）的基本理解。从理论上讲，BIS包含了人类为减少疾病感染而采取的各种行为，这使得这项研究特别及时。这项研究测试了对传染病的恐惧如何影响健康相关行为和社会态度的预测。其中一个目标是量化社会行为和态度在应对COVID-19威胁方面的变化程度。个体差异（人格特征、人口统计学、厌恶敏感性）的调节效应也将被测试。这项研究采用了一种新颖的、密集的纵向设计，跟踪了一个具有全国代表性的美国大样本一年。将在大流行期间收集数据，并随着威胁消退而减少频率。在线调查将评估预防行为（如洗手、保持社交距离）、社会态度（偏见、危险世界观、社会信仰）和个体差异变量。还将收集每个调查对象所在地区有关COVID-19流行率的国家统计数据，以确定社会态度和行为的变化是否与COVID-19威胁的变化平行。该项目将为当前和未来加强预防性健康行为和减少疾病传播的努力提供信息。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

For many U.S. citizens the rapidly increasing threat of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to widespread behavior change, including social distancing and self-quarantine. Determining the social and psychological factors that predict unwillingness to engage in preventative health behaviors is crucial to develop strategies for reducing widespread disease. This project identifies psychosocial factors associated with preventative behavior change, thereby highlighting who may be at greater risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19 and future infectious diseases. The research will inform interventions designed to increase preventative health behaviors that reduce pathogen transmission. The threat of COVID-19 has also altered many social attitudes, including bias toward specific groups such as people of Asian descent. This project will shed light on the long-term consequences of such social changes for policy, international relations, and individual decision making.This project informs and advances basic understanding of the human Behavioral Immune System (BIS). The BIS is theorized to encompass a variety of behaviors that humans adopt to reduce disease infection, making this research particularly timely. The research tests predictions regarding how fear of contagion influences health related behaviors and social attitudes. One goal is to quantify the extent to which social behaviors and attitudes have changed in response to the COVID-19 threat. The moderating effects of individual differences (personality traits, demographics, disgust sensitivity) will also be tested. The research utilizes a novel, intensive longitudinal design that follows a large nationally representative U.S. sample for one year. Data will be collected throughout the pandemic, decreasing in frequency as the threat subsides. Online surveys will assess preventative behaviors (e.g., handwashing, social distancing), social attitudes (prejudice, dangerous worldview, social beliefs), and individual difference variables. National statistics regarding COVID-19 prevalence in each survey respondent’s locale will also be collected to determine whether changes in social attitudes and behavior parallel changes in COVID-19 threat. The project will inform current and future efforts for increasing preventative health behaviors and reducing the spread of disease.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.