Rationales and Support for Norms in the Context of Covid-19

Abstract

This study empirically tests whether people invoke moral and prudential rationales when evaluating behavior in a novel context—the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States—and whether those rationales are associated with their support for a norm. We use data from two online vignette experiments that describe key health behaviors—staying home and masking—and find substantial support. Given the politicization of these behaviors in the U.S. context, we also explore the role of political orientation and find that liberal participants react more strongly to the behaviors.