To Be Scared or Not to Be Scared: Social Representations of COVID-19 in Young People (A Cross-Cultural Study)
The COVID-19 pandemic is a serious global threat to the world’s population. The aim of the presented exploratory study was to reveal and analyse social thinking about COVID-19 in two different cultural contexts: Russia and Malaysia. Social representation (SR) theory is a promising framework to analy...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Social Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/13/1/62 |
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| author | Irina A. Novikova Elizaveta B. Berezina Marianna E. Sachkova Nikolay V. Dvoryanchikov Alexey L. Novikov Inna B. Bovina |
| author_facet | Irina A. Novikova Elizaveta B. Berezina Marianna E. Sachkova Nikolay V. Dvoryanchikov Alexey L. Novikov Inna B. Bovina |
| author_sort | Irina A. Novikova |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The COVID-19 pandemic is a serious global threat to the world’s population. The aim of the presented exploratory study was to reveal and analyse social thinking about COVID-19 in two different cultural contexts: Russia and Malaysia. Social representation (SR) theory is a promising framework to analyse the symbolic response to the global health emergency. This exploratory study was conducted at the time of new COVID-19 variants’ emergence, accompanied by quarantine measures, and mass vaccination was not elaborated yet (12 October–15 December 2020). The total sample (convenience sampling) consisted of 349 young adults from Malaysia (<i>n</i> = 195, 35.4% males, 64.6% females) and Russia (<i>n</i> = 154, 10% males, 90% females) aged 17–36 years. Convenience sampling was used to recruit participants, and an online version of the questionnaire was proposed to participants. The free association technique was used as the main tool in order to reveal the content of SRs. This prototypical analysis allowed us to reveal a hypothetical structure of SRs in the two cultural groups. These SR structures in each sample were crystallised around mostly negative elements. While in the Malaysian sample, the key elements were troubling and disturbing (death, pandemic, virus, quarantine), in the Russian sample (quarantine, disease), these elements could be seen as a rationalisation (or even a denial) of the COVID-19 threat. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T10:35:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5fdd24f4e940453998302320d5eb0f0f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0760 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T10:35:24Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Social Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-5fdd24f4e940453998302320d5eb0f0f2024-01-26T18:29:16ZengMDPI AGSocial Sciences2076-07602024-01-011316210.3390/socsci13010062To Be Scared or Not to Be Scared: Social Representations of COVID-19 in Young People (A Cross-Cultural Study)Irina A. Novikova0Elizaveta B. Berezina1Marianna E. Sachkova2Nikolay V. Dvoryanchikov3Alexey L. Novikov4Inna B. Bovina5Psychology and Pedagogy Department, Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia Named after Patrice Lumumba (RUDN University), 6 Miklukho-Maklaya Str., 117198 Moscow, RussiaDepartment of Psychology, Sunway University, Bandar Sunway 47500, MalaysiaDepartment of General Psychology, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy & Public Administration, 82 Prospekt Vernadskogo, bldg 1, 119571 Moscow, RussiaDepartment of Clinical and Legal Psychology, Moscow State University of Psychology & Education, 29, Sretenka, 127051 Moscow, RussiaGeneral and Russian Linguistics Department, Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia Named after Patrice Lumumba (RUDN University), 6 Miklukho-Maklaya Str., 117198 Moscow, RussiaDepartment of Clinical and Legal Psychology, Moscow State University of Psychology & Education, 29, Sretenka, 127051 Moscow, RussiaThe COVID-19 pandemic is a serious global threat to the world’s population. The aim of the presented exploratory study was to reveal and analyse social thinking about COVID-19 in two different cultural contexts: Russia and Malaysia. Social representation (SR) theory is a promising framework to analyse the symbolic response to the global health emergency. This exploratory study was conducted at the time of new COVID-19 variants’ emergence, accompanied by quarantine measures, and mass vaccination was not elaborated yet (12 October–15 December 2020). The total sample (convenience sampling) consisted of 349 young adults from Malaysia (<i>n</i> = 195, 35.4% males, 64.6% females) and Russia (<i>n</i> = 154, 10% males, 90% females) aged 17–36 years. Convenience sampling was used to recruit participants, and an online version of the questionnaire was proposed to participants. The free association technique was used as the main tool in order to reveal the content of SRs. This prototypical analysis allowed us to reveal a hypothetical structure of SRs in the two cultural groups. These SR structures in each sample were crystallised around mostly negative elements. While in the Malaysian sample, the key elements were troubling and disturbing (death, pandemic, virus, quarantine), in the Russian sample (quarantine, disease), these elements could be seen as a rationalisation (or even a denial) of the COVID-19 threat.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/13/1/62COVID-19social representation theorycross-cultural studysocial thinking |
| spellingShingle | Irina A. Novikova Elizaveta B. Berezina Marianna E. Sachkova Nikolay V. Dvoryanchikov Alexey L. Novikov Inna B. Bovina To Be Scared or Not to Be Scared: Social Representations of COVID-19 in Young People (A Cross-Cultural Study) Social Sciences COVID-19 social representation theory cross-cultural study social thinking |
| title | To Be Scared or Not to Be Scared: Social Representations of COVID-19 in Young People (A Cross-Cultural Study) |
| title_full | To Be Scared or Not to Be Scared: Social Representations of COVID-19 in Young People (A Cross-Cultural Study) |
| title_fullStr | To Be Scared or Not to Be Scared: Social Representations of COVID-19 in Young People (A Cross-Cultural Study) |
| title_full_unstemmed | To Be Scared or Not to Be Scared: Social Representations of COVID-19 in Young People (A Cross-Cultural Study) |
| title_short | To Be Scared or Not to Be Scared: Social Representations of COVID-19 in Young People (A Cross-Cultural Study) |
| title_sort | to be scared or not to be scared social representations of covid 19 in young people a cross cultural study |
| topic | COVID-19 social representation theory cross-cultural study social thinking |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/13/1/62 |
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