Tell me what you are like and I will tell you what you believe in: Social representations of COVID-19 in the Americas, Europe and Asia

Cakal, H. and Méndez, L. and Da Costa, S. and Zumeta, L.N. and Gracia-Leiva, M. and Basabe, N. and Navarro-Carrillo, G. and Cazan, A.-M. and Keshavarzi, S. and López López, W. and Yahiiaiev, I. and Alzugaray-Ponce, C. and Villagrán, L. and Moyano-Díaz, E. and Petrovic, N. and Mathias, A. and Techio, E.M. and Wlodarzyck, A. and Alfaro-Beracochea, L. and Ibarra, M.L. and Psaltis, C. and Michael, A. and Mhaskar, S. and Martínez-Zelaya, G. and Bilbao, M. and Delfino, G. and Carvalho, C.L. and Pinto, I.R. and Zehra Mohsin, F. and Espinosa, A. and Cueto, R.M. and Cavalli, Stefano (2020) Tell me what you are like and I will tell you what you believe in: Social representations of COVID-19 in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Papers on Social Representations, 29 (2). 2.1-2.38. ISSN ISSN 1021-5573

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Abstract

This study analyzes the range and content of Social Representations (SRs) about the COVID-19 pandemic in 21 geographical zones from 17 countries in the Americas, Europe and Asia (N = 4430). Based on Social Representations Theory, as well as the psychosocial consequences of pandemics and crises, we evaluate the perceptions of severity and risks, the agreement with different SRs, and participants’ Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) and Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA). Different sets of beliefs are discussed as SRs, together with their prevalence and association with contextual variables. Results show that severity and risk perceptions were associated with different SRs of the pandemic. Specifically, those focused on Emerging Externalizing zoonotic and ecological factors (the virus is due to Chinese unhygienic habits and the overexploitation of the planet), Polemic Conspiracies (the virus is a weapon), views of Elite and Mass Villains (the elites deceive us and profit with the pandemic), and Personal Responsibility (the neglectful deserves contagion) during the pandemic. Furthermore, most of the SRs are anchored in SDO and, more strongly, in RWA orientations. Additional meta-analyses and multi-level regressions show that the effects are replicated in most geographical areas and that risk perception was a consistent explanatory variable, even after controlling for demographics and ‘real risk’ (i.e., actual numbers of contagion and death). Results suggest that, while coping with and making sense of the pandemic, authoritarian subjects agree with SR that feed a sense of social control and legitimize outgroup derogation, and support punishment of ingroup low-status deviants.

Item Type:	Scientific journal article, Newspaper article or Magazine article
Subjects:	Social studies Social studies > Sociology
Department/unit:	Dipartimento economia aziendale, sanità e sociale > Centro competenze anziani
Depositing User:	Roberta Torriani
Date Deposited:	15 Apr 2021 07:05
Last Modified:	15 Apr 2021 07:06
URI:	http://repository.supsi.ch/id/eprint/12523

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