DIN PARTNER FOR AKADEMISK FORSKNING

Authors: Patrick Peretti-Watel, Lisa Fressard, Benoît Giry, Pierre Verger, Jeremy Keith Ward

Context: In 2021, French health authorities strongly promoted vaccination against COVID-19. The authors assumed that refusing this vaccine became a stigma, and they investigated potential public stigma toward unvaccinated people among the French population.

Methods: A representative sample of the French adult population (N = 2,015) completed an online questionnaire in September 2021. The authors focused on participants who were already vaccinated against COVID-19 or intended to get vaccinated (N = 1,742). A cluster analysis was used to obtain contrasted attitudinal profiles, and the authors investigated associated factors with logistic regressions.

Findings: Regarding attitudes toward unvaccinated people, a majority of respondents supported several pejorative statements, and a significant minority also endorsed social rejection attitudes. The authors found four contrasting attitudinal profiles: moral condemnation only (32% of respondents), full stigma (26%), no stigma (26%), and stigma rejection (16%). Early vaccination, civic motives for it, faith in science, rejection of political extremes, and being aged 65 or older were the main factors associated with stigmatizing attitudes toward unvaccinated people.

Conclusions: The authors found some evidence of stigmatization toward unvaccinated people, but further research is needed, especially to investigate perceived stigmatization among them. The authors discuss their results with reference to the concept of 'folk devils' and from a public health perspective.

Authors: Jeremy K Ward, Sébastien Cortaredona, Hugo Touzet, Fatima Gauna, Patrick Peretti-Watel

Context: The role of political identities in determining attitudes to vaccines has attracted a lot of attention in the last decade. Explanations have tended to focus on the influence of party representatives on their sympathizers (partisan cues).

Methods: Four representatives samples of the French adult population completed online questionnaires between July 2021 and May 2022 (N = 9,177). Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to test whether partisan differences in attitudes to vaccines are best explained by partisan cues or by parties' differences in propensity to attract people who distrust the actors involved in vaccination policies.

Findings: People who feel close to parties at the far left, the far right and to green parties are more vaccine hesitant. We found a small evidence for the effect of partisan cues and a much stronger effect of trust. But more importantly, we show that the more politically sophisticated are less vaccine hesitant and that the non-partisan are the biggest and most vaccine-hesitant group.

Conclusions: The literature has focused on the case of the USA but turning the attention towards countries where disenchantment with politics is more marked helps better understand the different ways trust, partisanship and political sophistication can affect attitudes to vaccines.

Authors: Charles Khouri, Ayoub Larabi, Pierre Verger, Fatima Gauna, Jean-Luc Cracowski, Jeremy K. Ward

Objectives: The literature on vaccine hesitancy has widely commented on the various factors leading some to feel particularly at risk of disease infection while others do not. But little attention has been paid to whether we also see such differences regarding people's assessment of their personal vulnerability towards vaccine adverse events (AEs).

Methods: We designed two cross-sectional online surveys among representative samples of the French mainland population (n = 2015 and 3087). We asked participants if they felt, more than others, at risk of severe vaccine related side effects and to explain why. We performed two separate mixed effect binomial regressions models: 1) to explore the link between the feeling of being particularly at risk of severe vaccine related AEs and socio-demographic characteristics, source of information, trust in health agencies and partisan orientation; 2) to explore the link between the fear of side effects and vaccine hesitancy.

Results: We found that 15% of respondents felt to be, more than others, at risk of severe vaccine-related adverse events and that this feeling was associated to negative attitudes to vaccines. This feeling was particularly prevalent among women, those with a lower income, lower educational attainment and lower trust in public health institutions. The vast majority of the reasons given by responders are unrelated to genuine risk factors of vaccine related adverse events.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that vaccine hesitancy is at least partly grounded in a feeling of vulnerability towards vaccine adverse events.

Authors: Nils Geib, Silke Boenigk

Recruiting talented employees is challenging for nonprofit organizations. This study examines the effects of two possible human resource recruitment practices—offering new ways of working and leadership development opportunities—on the intention of talent to apply for a position at a nonprofit organization. Building on the self-determination theory, the authors conducted an online survey experiment (n = 389) with aspiring employees in Germany. The results show that, of the offered practices, only 'new ways of working' significantly increase individuals' intention to apply. Regarding work sector preferences, nonprofits are in a war for talent, as only 13.6% prefer the nonprofit sector, with most participants (47.8%) preferring to find a job with a for-profit company or in the public sector (38.6%). As a key nonprofit management implication, recruiters should develop and implement new ways of working to attract talented employees to the nonprofit sector.

Authors: Nicola Döring, M. Rohangis Mohseni, Laura Pietras, Arne Dekker, Peer Briken

Rough sex refers to consensual sexual activities that incorporate playful aggression, such as hair pulling, spanking, or choking. It is relevant in the context of sexual health as it can enhance sexual arousal, pleasure, and intimacy among consenting partners. However, it can also be associated with consent violations, discomfort, and injuries ranging from mild to severe or even fatal. The prevalence of rough sex in Germany is widely unknown. Our study aims to establish, for the first time, the overall age-related and gender-related prevalence rates of active and passive rough sex involvement among adults in Germany.

Methods: A national online sample of 1101 adults from Germany, aged 18–69 years (50% men, 49% women, 1% gender-diverse individuals) gave informed consent and reported on their lifetime engagement in rough sex in active and passive roles. We recruited participants through a professional panel provider for a multi-themed sexual health survey. Data analysis was conducted using R, with 95% confidence intervals of prevalence rates computed to answer the research questions.

Results: Lifetime prevalence of rough sex involvement was 29%. Adults below the age of 40 reported higher rates of involvement (up to 43%) than people over 40 (up to 26%). Men reported predominantly active role involvement and women reported primarily passive role involvement.

Discussion: Results show that rough sex is common. Sexual health professionals, educators, and researchers should be prepared to guide current and aspiring practitioners of rough sex, helping them understand potential benefits, risks, and age- and gender-related differences.

Authors: Zacher, H. and Rudolph, C. W.

The COVID-19 pandemic has considerably impacted many people's lives. This study examined changes in subjective wellbeing between December 2019 and May 2020 and how stress appraisals and coping strategies relate to individual differences and changes in subjective wellbeing during the early stages of the pandemic. Data were collected at 4 time points from 979 individuals in Germany. Results showed that, on average, life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect did not change significantly between December 2019 and March 2020 but decreased between March and May 2020. Across the latter timespan, individual differences in life satisfaction were positively related to controllability appraisals, active coping, and positive reframing, and negatively related to threat and centrality appraisals and planning. Positive affect was positively related to challenge and controllable-by-self appraisals, active coping, using emotional support, and religion, and negatively related to threat appraisal and humor. Negative affect was positively related to threat and centrality appraisals, denial, substance use, and self-blame, and negatively related to controllability appraisals and emotional support. Contrary to expectations, the effects of stress appraisals and coping strategies on changes in subjective wellbeing were small and mostly nonsignificant. These findings imply that the COVID-19 pandemic represents not only a major medical and economic crisis, but also has a psychological dimension, as it can be associated with declines in key facets of people's subjective wellbeing. Psychological practitioners should address potential declines in subjective wellbeing with their clients and attempt to enhance clients' general capability to use functional stress appraisals and effective coping strategies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Impact Statement

Public Significance Statement: This study shows that, on average, life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect decreased across the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. Different stress appraisals and coping strategies relevant to the pandemic were associated with general levels of subjective wellbeing during the pandemic, but had only small and mostly nonsignificant effects on changes in subjective wellbeing over time. Psychological practitioners should address potential declines in subjective wellbeing with their clients and attempt to enhance clients' general capability to make use of functional stress appraisals and effective coping strategies during a pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)

Authors: Veli-Matti Karhulahti, Jukka Vahlo, Marcel Martončik, Matti Munukka, Raine Koskimaa, Mikaela von Bonsdorff

Gaming-related health problems have been researched since the 1980s with numerous different ontologies as reference systems, from self-assessed 'game addiction' to 'pathological gambling' (in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [DSM]-IV), 'internet gaming disorder' (in the third section of the DSM-5) and most recently 'gaming disorder' (in the International Classification of Diseases [ICD]-11). Our goal was to investigate how screening instruments that derive from different ontologies differ in identifying associated problem groups. By using four central screening instruments, each representing a different ontological basis, we hypothesized differences and similarities in prevalence, overlap, and health. A nationally representative (N=8217) sample of Finnish participants was collected. The screening instruments produced significantly different prevalence rates (from 0.4% to 6.9%) and the binomial probabilities of group overlap ranged from poor (0.419) to good (0.919). Expectedly, the problem groups had lower mental health than the general population, yet exploratory analyses implied equivalent or significantly higher physical health. We also found strong exploratory evidence for mischievous responding to complicate the measurement of gaming problems. Considering that several major differences were confirmed between the four gaming problem constructs, we recommend researchers to clearly define their construct of interest, i.e. whether they are studying the ICD-11 based official mental disorder, the DSM-5 proposed 'internet gaming disorder', or other gaming problems—especially in future meta-analyses.

Authors: Mark Kayser, Arndt Leininger, Andreas Murr und Lukas Stötzer

Who will win how many constituencies in the 2021 German national election? Although Germany uses a mixed-member-proportional system, that is a particularly pressing question in 2021. Not only because many constituencies are prominently contested – e.g., 061 Potsdam, where Chancellor candidates Scholz (SPD) and Baerbock (Greens) are vying for the so-called direct mandate –, some races are likely to be very close, the Greens are hoping for more and the AfD for regaining constituency seats, but also because the distribution of constituency seats will have a decisive influence on how large the 20th German Bundestag will be. Unlike for the second vote (Zweitstimme in German) with the so-called 'Sunday question' (Sonntagsfrage in German), there are very few to no surveys for constituencies – where the first vote (Erststimme in German) decides the direct mandate. National polls cannot easily be used to forecast constituency results because, first, they usually only ask about the second vote, and second, there are at most a handful of respondents available for each constituency, while some constituencies cannot be covered at all. We, therefore, take a different approach with our citizens' forecast. We surveyed a non-representative sample of citizens in all 299 Bundestag constituencies – but we didn't ask who they would vote for; we asked who they thought would win. Specifically, we asked at least 20 people per constituency about the winner of the district vote, the distribution of first votes in the constituency, and the distribution of second votes nationwide. The idea behind our approach is simple: even the most ardent supporter of the FDP, for example, will be able to realistically assess that their party has no chance of winning the direct mandate, for instance, because the candidates of other parties have been more successful in the past. Furthermore, they know the local area and can assess how the constituency has developed demographically and politically in the last four years. We, therefore, hope that our citizen prediction will fare better than the so-called 'unit' or 'proportional swing' approaches (see, e.g. zweitstimme.org) or simple heuristics like 'The same party as last time wins.' Indeed, these cannot predict changes of direct mandates from one party to another that run counter to the general federal trend. This procedure has already been successfully implemented for election predictions in other countries such as the US or the United Kingdom, which use a pure majoritarian election system. How successful can citizens' predictions be in Germany? This and more is what we endeavor to find out with this project. We will be a bit wiser after the election night and the announcement of the preliminary official results. In the following, we document our Citizens' Forecast. The whole study

Authors: Ruben L. Bach, Christoph Kern, Ashley Amaya, Florian Keusch, Frauke Kreuter, Jan Hecht, and Jonathan Heinemann

Abstract:

A major concern arising from ubiquitous tracking of individuals' online activity is that algorithms may be trained to predict personal sensitive information, even for users who do not wish to reveal such information. Although previous research has shown that digital trace data can accurately predict sociodemographic characteristics, little is known about the potentials of such data to predict sensitive outcomes. Against this background, we investigate in this article whether we can accurately predict voting behavior, which is considered personal sensitive information in Germany and subject to strict privacy regulations. Using records of web browsing and mobile device usage of about 2,000 online users eligible to vote in the 2017 German federal election combined with survey data from the same individuals, we find that online activities do not predict (self-reported) voting well in this population. These findings add to the debate about users' limited control over (inaccurate) personal information flows.

The whole study

Authors: Alvin E. Rotha, and Stephanie W. Wang

Abstract:

We study popular attitudes in Germany, Spain, the Philippines, and the United States toward three controversial markets—prostitution, surrogacy, and global kidney exchange (GKE). Of those markets, only prostitution is banned in the United States and the Philippines, and only prostitution is allowed in Germany and Spain. Unlike prostitution, majorities support legalization of surrogacy and GKE in all four countries. So, there is not a simple relation between public support for markets, or bans, and their legal and regulatory status. Because both markets and bans on markets require social support to work well, this sheds light on the prospects for effective regulation of controversial markets. The whole study

Authors: Simon Munzert, Peter Selb, Anita Gohdes, Lukas F. Stoetzer and Will Lowe

Abstract:

Digital contact tracing apps have been introduced globally as an instrument to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, privacy by design impedes both the evaluation of these tools and the deployment of evidence-based interventions to stimulate uptake. We combine an online panel survey with mobile tracking data to measure the actual usage of Germany's official contact tracing app and reveal higher uptake rates among respondents with an increased risk of severe illness, but lower rates among those with a heightened risk of exposure to COVID-19. Using a randomized intervention, we show that informative and motivational video messages have very limited effect on uptake. However, findings from a second intervention suggest that even small monetary incentives can strongly increase uptake and help make digital contact tracing a more effective tool. The whole study

Authors: Katherine Clayton, Jeremy Ferwerda and Yusaku Horiuchi

Abstract:

To what extent does exposure to immigration condition the types of immigrants citizens are willing to admit? Extending the conjoint approach adopted by Hainmueller and Hopkins (Am J Pol Sci 59(3):529–548, 2015), this study investigates whether the admission preferences of French natives vary based on personal exposure to immigration, as proxied by local demographics and self-reported social contact. Methodologically, we propose and apply new methods to compare attribute salience across different subgroups of respondents. We find that although an inflow of immigrants into respondents' municipalities has a limited influence on how French natives evaluate prospective immigrants, social contact with immigrants matters. Specifically, French natives who do not frequently interact with immigrants are significantly less favorable toward immigrants from non-western countries, and more favorable toward immigrants from western countries. In contrast, natives who report frequent social interactions with immigrants place less weight on nationality as a criterion for immigrant admission. Although scholars have noted an increasing consensus in immigration attitudes across developed democracies, our findings suggest that individual experiences with immigration condition preferences for immigration policy at the national level. The whole study

Authors: Joan Barceló and Greg Chih-Hsin Sheen

Abstract:

With the spread of COVID-19, more countries now recommend their citizens to wear facemasks in public. The uptake of facemasks, however, remains far from universal in countries where this practice lacks cultural roots. In this paper, we aim to identify the barriers to mask-wearing in Spain, a country with no mask-wearing culture. We conduct one of the first nationally representative surveys (n = 4,000) about this unprecedented public health emergency and identify the profile of citizens who are more resistant to face-masking: young, educated, unconcerned with being infected, and with an introverted personality. Our results further indicate a positive correlation between a social norm of mask-wearing and mask uptake and demonstrate that uptake of facemasks is especially high among the elderly living in localities where mask-wearing behavior is popular. These results are robust when controlling for respondents' demographics, time spent at home, and occupation fixed effects. Our findings can be useful for policymakers to devise effective programs for improving public compliance. The whole study

Authors: Zachary D. Liscow and Abigail D. Pershing

Abstract:

Basic economic theory prescribes that redistribution typically take the form of cash rather than in-kind goods and services, since cash lets the recipient choose how to use the resources, thereby maximizing benefits to the recipient. Notwithstanding this benefit, among the trillions of dollars of annual transfers in the United States, redistribution is mostly—and increasingly—in-kind. We help explain why with novel survey experiments to better-understand Americans' preferences regarding the structure of government redistribution. Our survey experiment offers a large, demographically representative sample of respondents a hypothetical choice between a cash transfer and a transfer that can only be spent on a bundle of 'necessities.' We make three main points. First, survey respondents overwhelmingly preferred in-kind over cash transfers to the poor. The most important reason for this choice is paternalism: the belief that the poor will not spend cash on the right things. The preference for in-kind was common to a majority of virtually all segments of the general population, though not to a sample of elites. Second, stated preferences suggest that respondents are willing to redistribute considerably more in-kind than in cash. We also surveyed the poor, who preferred receiving cash, but not as strongly as the general population preferred redistributing in-kind. The modesty of this preference among the poor in part comes from a sizable minority that preferred in-kind redistribution, which many anticipated functioning as a self-control mechanism. Third, a randomized treatment explaining the value of choice significantly increased the preference for cash over in-kind, but it did not change the overall preference for in-kind. The whole study

Authors: Sarah Dryhurst, Claudia R. Schneider, John Kerr, Alexandra L. J. Freeman, Gabriel Recchia, Anne Marthe van der Bles, David Spiegelhalter and Sander van der Linden

Abstract:

The World Health Organization has declared the rapid spread of COVID19 around the world a global public health emergency. It is well-known that the spread of the disease is influenced by people's willingness to adopt preventative public health behaviors, which are often associated with public risk perception. In this study, we present the first assessment of public risk perception of COVID-19 around the world using national samples (total N ¼ 6,991) in ten countries across Europe, America, and Asia. We find that although levels of concern are relatively high, they are highest in the UK compared to all other sampled countries. Pooled across countries, personal experience with the virus, individualistic and prosocial values, hearing about the virus from friends and family, trust in government, science, and medical professionals, personal knowledge of government strategy, and personal and collective efficacy were all significant predictors of risk perception. Although there was substantial variability across cultures, individualistic worldviews, personal experience, prosocial values, and social amplification through friends and family in particular were found to be significant determinants in more than half of the countries examined. Risk perception correlated significantly with reported adoption of preventative health behaviors in all ten countries. Implications for effective risk communication are discussed. The whole study

Authors: Jon Roozenbeek, Claudia R. Schneider, Sarah Dryhurst, John Kerr, Alexandra L. J. Freeman, Gabriel Recchia, Anne Marthe van der Bles and Sander van der Linden

Abstract:

Misinformation about COVID-19 is a major threat to public health. Using five national samples from the UK (n= 1050 and n= 1150), Ireland (n = 700), the USA (n = 700), Spain (n= 700) and Mexico (n= 700), we examine predictors of belief in the most common statements about the virus that contain misinformation. We also investigate the prevalence of belief in COVID-19 misinformation across different countries and the role of belief in such misinformation in predicting relevant health behaviours. We find that while public belief in misinformation about COVID-19 is not particularly common, a substantial proportion views this type of misinformation as highly reliable in each country surveyed. In addition, a small group of participants find common factual information about the virus highly unreliable. We also find that increased susceptibility to misinformation negatively affects people's self-reported compliance with public health guidance about COVID-19, as well as people's willingness to get vaccinated against the virus and to recommend the vaccine to vulnerable friends and family. Across all countries surveyed, we find that higher trust in scientists and having higher numeracy skills were associated with lower susceptibility to coronavirus-related misinformation. Taken together, these results demonstrate a clear link between susceptibility to misinformation and both vaccine hesitancy and a reduced likelihood to comply with health guidance measures, and suggest that interventions which aim to improve critical thinking and trust in science may be a promising avenue for future research. The whole study

Authors: Cornelia Betsch et al.

Goal:

The goal of the project is to repeatedly gain insight into how the population perceives the corona pandemic and how the 'psychological situation' is shaping up. This should make it easier to align communication measures and reporting in such a way as to offer the population correct, helpful knowledge and prevent misinformation and activism. For example, an attempt should also be made to classify behavior that is heavily discussed in the media.

This page is intended to help authorities, media representatives and the population to assess the psychological challenges of the COVID-19 epidemic and, in the best case, to overcome them. The whole study

Authors: John R. Kerr, Claudia R. Schneider, Gabriel Recchia, Sarah Dryhurst, Ullrika Sahlin, Carole Dufouil, Pierre Arwidson, Jon Roozenbeek,, Alexandra L. J. Freeman and Sander van der Linden

Abstract:

Understanding the drivers of vaccine acceptance is crucial to the success of COVID-19 mass vaccination campaigns. Across 25 national samples from 12 different countries we examined the psychological correlates of willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine (total N = 25,334), with a focus on risk perception and trust in a number of relevant actors, both in general and specifically regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Male sex, trust in medical and scientific experts and worry about the virus emerge as the most consistent predictors of reported vaccine acceptance across countries. In a subset of samples we show that these effects are robust after controlling for attitudes towards vaccination in general. Our results indicate that the burden of trust largely rests on the shoulders of the scientific and medical community, with implications for how future COVID-19 vaccination information should be communicated to maximize uptake. The whole study

Authors: Alberto Alesina, Stefanie Stantcheva and Edoardo Teso

Abstract:

Using new cross-country survey and experimental data, we investigate how beliefs about intergenerational mobility affect preferences for redistribution in France, Italy, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Americans are more optimistic than Europeans about social mobility. Our randomized treatment shows pessimistic information about mobility and increases support for redistribution, mostly for 'equality of opportunity' policies. We find strong political polarization. Left-wing respondents are more pessimistic about mobility: their preferences for redistribution are correlated with their mobility perceptions; and they support more redistribution after seeing pessimistic information. None of this is true for right-wing respondents, possibly because they see the government as a 'problem' and not as the 'solution'. The whole study

Authors: Alberto Alesina, Armando Miano and Stefanie Stantcheva

Abstract:

We design and conduct large-scale surveys and experiments in six countries to investigate how natives perceive immigrants and how these perceptions influence their preferences for redistribution. We find strikingly large misperceptions about the number and characteristics of immigrants: in all countries, respondents greatly overestimate the total number of immigrants, think immigrants are culturally and religiously more distant from them, and are economically weaker -- less educated, more unemployed, and more reliant on and favored by government transfers -- than is the case. Given the very negative baseline views that respondents have of immigrants, simply making them think about immigration before asking questions about redistribution, in a randomized manner, makes them support less redistribution, including actual donations to charities. Information about the true shares and origins of immigrants is ineffective, and mainly acts as a prime that makes people think about immigrants and reduces their support for redistribution. An anecdote about a 'hard working' immigrant is somewhat more effective, suggesting that when it comes to immigration, salience and narratives shape people's views more deeply than hard facts. The whole study

Authors: Ruth Maria Schüler, Judith Niehues and Matthias Diermeier

Abstract:

Since the outbreak of the corona pandemic, a wide variety of conspiracy theories have spread on social media. Furthermore, traditional media are generally used more and are considered to be significantly more credible than social media. This is shown by an analysis of the Germany-wide survey conducted for the first time in summer 2020 by the Ruhr University Bochum and the German Economic Institute. However, young people under the age of 30 are increasingly using social media to inform themselves about political events. This is particularly noteworthy given that there is a shift in the power of interpretation among social media users in favor of social media, which could lead to the emergence of communicative parallel societies. The analysis of the survey data shows that respondents consider the media formats that they themselves use to be more credible. The analysis also reveals that users of certain media such as YouTube and Telegram are more likely to believe in conspiracy theories. Even if the analysis cannot reveal any causal relationships between the variables, it does show that the use of certain media formats is associated with a tendency to believe in conspiracy theories.

A look at the USA shows how the use of social media, particularly by (still) US President Donald Trump, emotionally dominated the political debate during his term in office and the election campaign and also encouraged the spread of false reports, so-called fake news. Even though the credibility of traditional media is much higher in Germany, analyses also point to an increasing importance of fake news and the growing spread of conspiracy beliefs in Germany.

Against this background, it is all the more urgent to strengthen media literacy, especially among the older population who, unlike the 'digital natives', did not grow up in a digitalized world. In addition, it is equally the task of schools and political education (providers) as well as journalism to facilitate discourse and at the same time to classify fake news and contain its spread. The whole study

Author: Johannes Krause

Abstract:

Johannes Krause examines the measures people take to control and determine their own physical appearance to the outside world based on existing social dimensions, media consumption and values. An online survey is used to show the role these factors play, and these influencing factors are quantified using structural equation models. The interdisciplinary theoretical framework integrates sociological concepts such as Pierre Bourdieu's habitus concept, media studies approaches in the form of George Gerbner's cultivation thesis and the Schwartz values as personality traits in a common empirical model.

Der Inhalt

• What is beauty practice and what influence does habitus have?
• Beauty Act and Physical Attractiveness
• The Habitus, its Origin and its Effects on Everyday Life
• Media consumption as an influencing factor of beauty behavior The target groups
• Lecturers and students of sociology, empirical social research and communication sciences
• Teachers and educators

Authors: K. Peren Arin, Juan A. Lacomba, Francisco Lagos, Ana I. Moro-Egido and Marcel Thum

Abstract:

We examine the impact of the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and the nationwide movement restrictions on socio-economic attitudes in four European countries (France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom). We conducted large-scale surveys while the pandemic rapidly spread before and after nationwide lockdowns were implemented. We investigate the impact in three different categories of attitudes: i) economic perceptions (economic insecurity and views on globalization); ii) political attitudes (trust in domestic and international institutions, populism and immigration); and iii) social aspects (authoritarianism and loneliness). We find that overall, the pandemic/social-distancing, but not the lockdowns, has increased economic insecurity, loneliness, and acceptance of authoritarianism while decreasing support for globalization. On the bright side, there is a sensible increase in trust in domestic institutions. We also document that the pandemic had heterogeneous and disproportional effects both at the country level and at the demographic group level. In terms of societal groups, our results suggest that the aggregate results are mostly driven by a number of groups, most notably women, families with children, and the labor force. The whole study

Author: Sabrina Schöttle

Abstract:

Um Wirkungszusammenhänge im Rahmen der politischen Online-Beteiligung, mit einem Schwerpunkt auf Online-Bürgerbeteiligungsplattformen, aufzuzeigen, werden zunächst ausgewählte uni- und bivariate Analyseergebnisse des Online-Surveys wiedergegeben. Dabei liegt der Fokus einerseits auf Differenzen zwischen den Geschlechtern, andererseits auf Unterschieden zwischen Partizipierenden und bislang Nicht-Partizipierenden. Sofern geschlechterstereotypischen Einstellungen, betrachtet als ein Kondensat von Doing Gender, auf Basis der theoretischen Erwägungen eine Bedeutung zukommt, werden sie in den Analysen berücksichtigt. The whole study

Authors: Christina Leuker, Ralph Hertwig, Ksenija Gumenik, Lukas Maximilian Eggeling, Shahar Hechtlinger, Anastasia Kozyreva, Larissa Samaan and Nadine Fleischhut

Abstract:

On January 27, 2020, the first case of infection with the novel coronavirus was officially confirmed in Germany. Shortly thereafter, the government set up a crisis team, and the Heinsberg district reported an increasing number of infections. At the beginning of March, it became clear that the coronavirus was also spreading in Germany. Far-reaching restrictions on public and private life followed: major events were canceled, school closures announced, social contact restrictions came into force. The threat was new, global, and difficult to estimate at the beginning of March. The coronavirus dominated the media as much as private conversations in Germany. The population was exposed to an unprecedented flood of information, including misinformation and uncertainty: from daily statistics on infections, symptoms, risks, and behavioral recommendations, to personal reports, global comparisons, and measures designed to stop the virus or slow its spread. It is unclear how the population dealt with this flood of information and how information behavior changed with the decline in infection numbers and the easing of measures at the beginning of June. At the beginning of June, the population had to expect that risks would vary regionally and that measures would be adapted to the current infection situation. At the same time, the economic and social consequences of the restrictions caused by the pandemic must be dealt with. In the following report, we focus on four key questions: (1) How do people say they are getting information about the coronavirus at the beginning of the easing phase at the beginning of June, and how has behavior changed compared to the beginning of March? (2) What topics, for what reasons, and from what sources do people get information? (3) How do people deal with misinformation? (4) How do people perceive risks related to the coronavirus, and how well are they informed? Even if some population groups are at greater risk from infection (e.g. older people or people with pre-existing conditions), it is important that all citizens are sufficiently informed about risks and measures to control the spread of the coronavirus and protect at-risk groups. To answer these questions, Respondi conducted a representative online survey with N = 1107 on behalf of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development between June 3 and 6, 2020. The current population distribution was taken into account in terms of age (18–69 years), gender and federal state using quota samples. The whole study

Authors: Martin Kerwer and Tom Rosman

Abstract:

Changing epistemic beliefs (beliefs about knowledge and knowing) requires individuals to experience epistemicdoubt (a specific type of cognitive dissonance). To evoke epistemic doubt, many studies rely on presentingdiverging information (conflicting evidence). However, not much is known about how different types of di-verging information and individual differences affect epistemic change. In a preregistered study (N= 509), weinvestigated how interventions based on resolvable/unresolvable diverging information influenced epistemicchange compared to non-diverging information. Moreover, we examined the role of prior epistemic beliefs inthis regard. Multiple-group latent change analyses showed that topic-specific epistemic beliefs prospered in thetwo diverging information groups but not for non-diverging information, while domain-general beliefs remainedlargely unchanged. Although epistemic change was—as expected—more pronounced for individuals with naiveprior beliefs in diverging information groups, detrimental effects existed for advanced prior beliefs. Thesefindings point to the important role of prior beliefs in epistemic change. The whole study

Authors: Birgit Schyns. Jörg Felfe and Jan Schilling

Abstract:

There is a growing interest in understanding how follower reactions toward abusive leadership are shaped by followers' perceptions and attributions. Our studies add to the understanding of the process happening between different levels of leaders' abusive behavior (from constructive leadership as control, laissez-faire, mild to strong abusive) and follower reactions. Specifically, we focus on the role of perception of abusive supervision as a mediator and attribution as a moderator of the relationship between leader abusive behavior and follower reactions. Follower reactions are defined in terms of exit, voice, loyalty, and neglect. Two studies using a two point experimental design and vignettes and a cross-sectional field study were conducted. Perception partly mediates the relationship between leader behavior and reactions (Study 1 and 2). Different attributions (intention, control) moderate the relationship between the perception of abusive supervision and reactions in Study 2 and 3. In Study 2, attribution of intentionality of the leader behavior served as a moderator of the relationship between abusive supervision and loyalty, turnover, and voice. Attribution of intentionality reduced the relationship between perception of abusive supervision and reactions. Attribution of intentionality only strengthened negative reactions when milder abusive leadership was perceived. These results were not supported in Study 3. However, in Study 3, attribution to the supervisor' control served as moderator for loyalty and voice. A stronger relationship between the perception of abusive supervision and reactions emerged for high vs. for low attribution to the supervisor. The differences in results between the studies reflect that in Study 1 and 2 abusive behavior was manipulated and in Study 3 the perception of abusive supervision of actual leaders was assessed. Our findings show that avoidance of abusive supervision should be taken seriously and followers' perception and suffering is not only due to subjective judgment but reflects actual differences in behavior. The relationships are stronger in the field study, because, in practice, abusive behaviors might be more ambiguous. The research presented here can help leaders to better understand their own and the followers' role in the perception of and reaction to abusive supervision. The whole study

Authors: Birgit Schyns, Tina Kiefer and Roseanne J. Foti

Abstract:

The paper focuses on antecedents of leadership self-efficacy and motivation to lead. We propose that the congruence between how individuals see leaders in general (implicit leadership theories) and how they see themselves (implicit self-theories) on different characteristics, is related to leadership self-efficacy and indirectly to motivation to lead. We surveyed 497 individuals at two time points. For two dimensions of implicit theories, (dynamism and integrity), we found that congruence at a high level is important for leadership self-efficacy. For the dimensions of clever, dynamism, and integrity, we found that leadership self-efficacy was higher when individuals thought that they were higher on these characteristics than leaders in general. For manipulation, neither congruence nor incongruence was related to leadership self-efficacy. Our results further suggest that leadership self-efficacy mediates the significant direct effects of congruence in implicit leadership theories/implicit self-theories and motivation to lead. Our results demonstrate the importance of understanding the congruence or incongruence of views about leaders in general and the self, and highlight the importance of taking into account the different dimensions of implicit leadership theories/implicit self-theories to be better able to predict motivation to lead. The whole study

Authors: Sabrina Sandner, Eva-Maria Merz, Katja van den Hurk, Marian van Kraaij, Christina Mikkelsen, Henrik Ullum and Michel Clement

Abstract:

Background and objectives: A donor health questionnaire (DHQ) aims to ensure the safety of donors and recipients of transfusions or transplantations with blood components, plasma-derived medicinal products, tissues, haematopoietic stem cells and medically assisted reproduction (in short substances of human origin; SoHO). Currently, many different DHQs exist across countries and SoHO. TRANSPOSE (TRANSfusion and transplantation PrOtection and SElection of donors) developed and validated a standardized DHQ to use across countries and SoHO. We tested whether participants understand the questions and provide honest answers. Methods: For the validation of the standardized DHQ, two demographically representative online surveys were conducted in Germany (N = 3329) and Austria (N = 3432). We surveyed whether participants understood each DHQ question and would answer the questions truthfully. We used experimental settings to test whether there is a difference between mode of administration (print vs. online), the order of the questions (subject vs. chronological order), and the positioning of the general state of health question (beginning vs. end) in the DHQ. Using regression models, we tested the DHQ's impact on participant mood after completion and on socially desirable response behaviour. Results: Participants understood the DHQ questions well and would answer them honestly. Nevertheless, the data show different levels of understanding and honesty when responding. Administration mode was the only characteristic that had a significant influence on mood, with the online version resulting in a more favourable mood in comparison to the printed version. Conclusion: The DHQ was well understood and had a low dishonest tendency. Our findings can serve as an impulse for further research on DHQ criteria across other SoHO and countries. Key words: social desirability, donor health management, standardized questionnaire. The whole study

Author: Franziska Hoberg

Abstract:

Franziska Hoberg asks how companies can repair trust or reduce mistrust through communication in the event of integrity-based loss of trust or integrity-based mistrust. The author succeeds in demonstrating how this loss of trust can be regained and mistrust reduced with the help of two types of accountability - admission and action. Her research approach is based on the accountability model by Kury (2013) and the attribution theory by Weiner (1985). This work stands out for its theoretical depth and high practical relevance and illustrates the importance and potential impact of efficient crisis communication. The whole study

Authors: Hannes Zacher and Cort W. Rudolph

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The COVID-19 pandemic has considerably impacted many people's lives. This study examined changes in subjective wellbeing between December 2019 and May 2020 and how stress appraisals and coping strategies relate to individual differences and changes in subjective wellbeing during the early stages of the pandemic. Data were collected at 4 time points from 979 individuals in Germany. Results showed that, on average, life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect did not change significantly between December 2019 and March 2020 but decreased between March and May 2020. Across the latter timespan, individual differences in life satisfaction were positively related to controllability appraisals, active coping, and positive reframing, and negatively related to threat and centrality appraisals and planning. Positive affect was positively related to challenge and controllable-by-self appraisals, active coping, using emotional support, and religion, and negatively related to threat appraisal and humor. Negative affect was positively related to threat and centrality appraisals, denial, substance use, and self-blame, and negatively related to controllability appraisals and emotional support. Contrary to expectations, the effects of stress appraisals and coping strategies on changes in subjective wellbeing were small and mostly nonsignificant. These findings imply that the COVID-19 pandemic represents not only a major medical and economic crisis, but also has a psychological dimension, as it can be associated with declines in key facets of people's subjective wellbeing. Psychological practitioners should address potential declines in subjective wellbeing with their clients and attempt to enhance clients' general capability to use functional stress appraisals and effective coping strategies. The whole study

Authors: Hannes Zacher and Cort W. Rudolph

Abstract:

This study examined the Big Five personality traits as predictors of individual differences and changes in the perceived stressfulness of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany between early April 2020 and early September 2020. This timeframe includes the first national 'lockdown,' the period of 'easing' of restrictions, and the summer vacation period. Data were collected from n = 588 full-time employees, who provided baseline data on their personality traits in early December 2019, and then later provided data on perceived stressfulness of the COVID-19 pandemic at five time points, spanning six months. Consistent with expectations based on event and transition theories, results showed that, on average, perceived stressfulness declined between early April 2020 and early September 2020. Moreover, this effect was stronger between early April 2020 and early July 2020. Hypotheses based on the differential reactivity model of personality and stress were partially supported. Emotional stability was associated with lower, and extraversion associated with higher, average levels of perceived stressfulness. Finally, extraversion was associated with increases (i.e., positive trajectories) in perceived stressfulness between early April 2020 and early July 2020 and decreases (i.e., negative trajectories) in perceived stressfulness between early July 2020 and early September 2020. The whole study

Authors: Sebastian Zenker, Erik Braun, Szilvia Gyimóthy

Abstract:

Pandemics are affecting tourism in many ways. Being a niche research field before, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic created a strong urgency to develop this topic. For researching pandemic-induced changes in tourist beliefs and travel behaviour, we developed a construct that measures the intra-personal anxiety of travellers (and non-travellers): the Pandemic (COVID-19) Anxiety Travel Scale (PATS), using two large online studies (N = 2180; N = 2062) and including two different cultural contexts (US and Denmark). In Study 1, explorative and confirmative factors analysis confirms a short and easy-to-use 5-item solution, while the presented model adds face validity. Study 2 confirmed the structure (reliability) and tested nomological validity, by putting PATS into the context of different constructs (xenophobia and prevention focus). Although the proposed scale arose from the coronavirus (COVID-19), it is not limited to this specific pandemic and will hopefully prove to be a valuable measurement tool for future pandemics as well. The whole study