The Impact of Empathy and Fear on Solidarity during a Pandemic

Abstract

It is believed that solidarity is motivated by positive collective feelings (group cohesion, social responsibility, etc.), as well as by individual empathy of group members. Motivation may change vector if all members of society are potential victims of a pandemic. An analysis of data obtained from an online survey of 331 Russian-speaking respondents (19 countries) from March 2021 to April 2023 revealed a weak link between empathy (both affective and cognitive) and the solidarity attitudes on safe behavior. On the contrary, a significant correlation was found between negative Ego-feelings (fear for oneself and health) and the expression of the most important solidarity attitudes -wearing masks, social distancing and vaccination. This contradicts the old tradition of considering individual empathy as the principal factor of collective solidarity. In particular, the bodily metaphor of rapprochement, embracing with others, which is the core of empathy, contradicts the requirement of physical distance. A positive correlation was also noted between the pronouncement of solidarity attitudes and the experience of material aid to strangers. Fears for oneself and empathy for others are experiences with opposite vectors. Fears can block empathy. Thus, the phenomenon of synchronous behavior of people, similar to solidarity, but with nonspecific negative motivation, was discovered. We believe that solidarity-like activity should be distinguished from conscious, trained solidarity based on the belief that suffering and unprotected groups and people need to be supported by the state and other citizens.