Collectively coping with coronavirus: Local community identification predicts giving support and lockdown adherence during the COVID-19 pandemic

Stevenson, C ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2438-6425, Wakefield, JRH ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9155-9683, Felsner, I, Drury, J and Costa, S, 2021. Collectively coping with coronavirus: Local community identification predicts giving support and lockdown adherence during the COVID-19 pandemic. British Journal of Social Psychology, 60 (4), pp. 1403-1418. ISSN 0144-6665

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Abstract

The role of shared identity in predicting both ingroup helping behaviour and adherence to protective norms during COVID-19 has been extensively theorized, but remains largely under-investigated. We build upon previous Social Identity research into community resilience by testing the role of pre-existing local community (or ‘neighbourhood’) identity as a predictor of these outcomes, via the mediator of perceived social support. Community residents in the UK completed a longitudinal online survey four months before lockdown (T1; N = 253), one month before lockdown (T2; N = 217), and two months into lockdown (T3; N = 149). The cross-lagged panel analysis shows that T1 community identification predicts T3 giving and receiving of pandemic-related support, and that these effects occur via the perception of community support at the second timepoint (while the alternative pathway from T1 support via T2 identification is non-significant). Moreover, we show that T1 community identification also directly predicts lockdown adherence at T3. Our findings point to the pivotal role played by community identity in effective behavioural responses to the pandemic, and the need to support and foster community development to facilitate local community resilience as the crisis continues to unfold.

Item Type:	Journal article
Alternative Title:	Short title: Community identification during COVID-19
Publication Title:	British Journal of Social Psychology
Creators:	Stevenson, C., Wakefield, J.R.H., Felsner, I., Drury, J. and Costa, S.
Publisher:	Wiley
Date:	October 2021
Volume:	60
Number:	4
ISSN:	0144-6665
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1111/bjso.12457 DOI 1431043 Other
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Jonathan Gallacher
Date Added:	21 Apr 2021 11:31
Last Modified:	10 May 2022 03:00
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/42733

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