Anxious and Angry: Emotional Responses to the COVID-19 Threat
The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic elicits a vast amount of anxiety. In the current study, we investigated how anxiety related to COVID-19 is associated with support for and compliance with governmental hygiene measures, and how these are influenced by populist attitudes, anger...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.676116/full |
| _version_ | 1819118475906383872 |
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| author | David Abadi Irene Arnaldo Agneta Fischer |
| author_facet | David Abadi Irene Arnaldo Agneta Fischer |
| author_sort | David Abadi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic elicits a vast amount of anxiety. In the current study, we investigated how anxiety related to COVID-19 is associated with support for and compliance with governmental hygiene measures, and how these are influenced by populist attitudes, anger at the government, and conspiracy mentalities. We conducted an online survey in April 2020 in four different countries (Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and the UK; N = 2,031) using a cross-sectional design. Results showed that (1) anxiety related to COVID-19 is associated with conspiracy beliefs, anger at the government, and populist attitudes, and (2) support for and compliance with hygiene measures are both positively predicted by anxiety related to COVID-19; however, (3) support for hygiene measures is also predicted by populist attitudes and negatively by conspiracy mentalities, whereas compliance with hygiene measures is more strongly predicted by anger at transgressors (anger at people transgressing the hygiene measures). Consequently, although anxiety related to COVID-19 concerns the health of individual people, it also has political and social implications: anxiety is associated with an increase in anger, either at transgressors or the government. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T05:49:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-164a15d77dfb45baa927544e92f8b8e1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T05:49:28Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-164a15d77dfb45baa927544e92f8b8e12022-12-21T18:36:54ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782021-08-011210.3389/fpsyg.2021.676116676116Anxious and Angry: Emotional Responses to the COVID-19 ThreatDavid AbadiIrene ArnaldoAgneta FischerThe current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic elicits a vast amount of anxiety. In the current study, we investigated how anxiety related to COVID-19 is associated with support for and compliance with governmental hygiene measures, and how these are influenced by populist attitudes, anger at the government, and conspiracy mentalities. We conducted an online survey in April 2020 in four different countries (Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and the UK; N = 2,031) using a cross-sectional design. Results showed that (1) anxiety related to COVID-19 is associated with conspiracy beliefs, anger at the government, and populist attitudes, and (2) support for and compliance with hygiene measures are both positively predicted by anxiety related to COVID-19; however, (3) support for hygiene measures is also predicted by populist attitudes and negatively by conspiracy mentalities, whereas compliance with hygiene measures is more strongly predicted by anger at transgressors (anger at people transgressing the hygiene measures). Consequently, although anxiety related to COVID-19 concerns the health of individual people, it also has political and social implications: anxiety is associated with an increase in anger, either at transgressors or the government.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.676116/fullangeranxietyconspiracy mentalitypopulismterror management theory (tmt)threat |
| spellingShingle | David Abadi Irene Arnaldo Agneta Fischer Anxious and Angry: Emotional Responses to the COVID-19 Threat Frontiers in Psychology anger anxiety conspiracy mentality populism terror management theory (tmt) threat |
| title | Anxious and Angry: Emotional Responses to the COVID-19 Threat |
| title_full | Anxious and Angry: Emotional Responses to the COVID-19 Threat |
| title_fullStr | Anxious and Angry: Emotional Responses to the COVID-19 Threat |
| title_full_unstemmed | Anxious and Angry: Emotional Responses to the COVID-19 Threat |
| title_short | Anxious and Angry: Emotional Responses to the COVID-19 Threat |
| title_sort | anxious and angry emotional responses to the covid 19 threat |
| topic | anger anxiety conspiracy mentality populism terror management theory (tmt) threat |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.676116/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT davidabadi anxiousandangryemotionalresponsestothecovid19threat AT irenearnaldo anxiousandangryemotionalresponsestothecovid19threat AT agnetafischer anxiousandangryemotionalresponsestothecovid19threat |