Abstract
Since the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in December 2019 about 500,000 people died within the first 6 months. The virus itself, as well as the related political decisions, intensified an increasing feeling of fear in billions of people worldwide. However, while some people remained unperturbed, others experienced panic over the current situation. In order to investigate individual differences in the perceptions, emotions and behaviors in response to the Coronavirus pandemic, an online survey was conducted between 6th and 27th of March 2020. Participants included 7309 individuals from 96 countries, who provided information on socio-demographics, personality, political orientation and general life satisfaction. To determine the specificity of fear of Coronavirus, we also investigated fear related to two other current political issues: the refugee and the climate crises. Overall, in parallel with the escalation of the pandemic, fear of Coronavirus increased significantly over the 22-day period, with the strongest predictors being the personality variable neuroticism, as well as education, sex and being an at-risk person. A detailed longitudinal analysis of the largest sample, Germany, revealed that political orientation was also an important predictor of fear of Coronavirus. Specifically, conservatives were more afraid of Coronavirus than liberals. However, as the perceived threat of the virus increased, the influence of political orientation disappeared, whereas personality remained a stable predictor. The pattern of results regarding the perceived threat of the refugee and climate crises painted a different picture: political orientation was by far the best predictor, more important even than personality. Conservatives were more worried about the refugees, and liberals about climate change. Cross-cultural analyses showed pronounced differences between countries, dependent on the crisis. Nonetheless, the importance of personality for the prediction of fear of Coronavirus remained stable over time and across the world within the investigated 22-day period.
Highlights
The Coronavirus causes the respiratory disease Covid-19 and represents the greatest health threat faced by mankind in decades, causing a steep increase in worldwide morbidity and mortality and eliciting widespread fear
In a cross-cultural study covering a 22-day period, during which the Coronavirus pandemic escalated worldwide, we investigated why some people are more afraid of the Coronavirus than others
Our results show a marked increase in the fear of Coronavirus over time in a German sample, a trend echoed in a wider, international sample
Summary
The Coronavirus ( known as SARS-CoV-2) causes the respiratory disease Covid-19 and represents the greatest health threat faced by mankind in decades, causing a steep increase in worldwide morbidity and mortality and eliciting widespread fear. As the public realized the implications of the lack of available treatments for Covid-19, and that younger people without any pre-existing conditions can die from the disease, associated levels of fear and the perceived threat of the Coronavirus subjectively increased. Is the fear of Coronavirus specific, or are the people who panic in response to the virus afraid of other perceived societal threats? What are the reasons for this variation in human behavior? Is the fear of Coronavirus specific, or are the people who panic in response to the virus afraid of other perceived societal threats?
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