Death anxiety and materialism during the pandemic: investigating the role of personal experiences of COVID-19

Abstract

ABSTRACT Given that personal experiences related to coronavirus (such as being infected or having a close friend or family member diagnosed with it) may induce greater fear of death, and based on terror management theory, we hypothesised that personal experiences of COVID-19 would be associated with increased materialism. Furthermore, the relationship between personal experiences of COVID-19 and materialism was expected to be mediated by generalised anxiety. Two quasi-experimental studies were conducted: Study 1 (N = 1,138) during the first wave of infections in Poland and Study 2 (N = 285) during the second wave. Study 1 showed that individuals with close friends or family members who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 (n = 43) had higher levels of materialism (mainly in the dimension of centrality), and this relationship was mediated by the level of generalised anxiety. Study 2 showed that average levels of materialism decreased during the pandemic, but not among respondents who had suffered from coronavirus infection (n = 32) – levels of materialism increased in this group, especially in the dimension of centrality. Our studies are the first to show how personal real-life experiences related to COVID-19 can translate into levels of materialism in individuals.