Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic led to serious restrictions on peoples’ everyday lives and had severe economic impacts. In contrast, “lockdown” restrictions led to short-term beneficial effects for the environment. In the present study, we compared pro-environmental behavior and materialism values before, during, and after COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in the spring of 2020. The results of an online study using 370 participants showed a decrease in materialism values and pro-environmental sacrificing actions. In contrast, ecologically compatible actions decreased during the lockdown and increased again to the initial level after restrictions were loosened. Moreover, pro-environmental attitudes had a diminishing effect on materialism values, especially during lockdown restrictions. Agreeableness had a diminishing effect on materialism values during the lockdown. In contrast, trait narcissism enhanced materialism values, which were strongest after the lockdown was over. In conclusion, materialism values and pro-environmental behaviors were “locked down” due to COVID-19 restrictions but did not show the expected rebound effects. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.
Highlights
Agreeableness had a diminishing effect on materialism values during the lockdown
We considered narcissism as a personality trait, which can be described as a pattern of grandiosity, self-importance, and self-focus [36]
Assuming not limited to behavior, andand values ues could be temporarily adapted to specific circumstances, study investigated could alsoalso be temporarily adapted to specific circumstances, our our study investigated rerebound effectsininpro-environmental pro-environmentalbehavior behaviorand andaccompanying accompanyingmaterialism materialismvalues valuescomcombound effects paring during paringthe thetimes timesbefore before(retrospectively), during during and after lockdown-regulations lockdown-regulations during the materials and and methods methodsused usedin inthis thisstudy
Summary
Agreeableness had a diminishing effect on materialism values during the lockdown. Trait narcissism enhanced materialism values, which were strongest after the lockdown was over. Materialism values and pro-environmental behaviors were “locked down” due to COVID-19 restrictions but did not show the expected rebound effects. Organization declared this “COVID-19 disease” a global pandemic. The COVID19 pandemic has resulted in the loss of human lives as well as economic prosperity. Social regulations were necessary to save human lives. These regulations, necessarily enforced to lower infection rates during the COVID-19 pandemic, led to numerous restrictions to peoples’ behavior in everyday life. Economic effects were first seen in China, where it is likely that SARS-CoV-19 first started to spread [4]
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