Does threat from COVID-19 stimulate attitudes amenable to public cooperation? Evidence from India
| Author | Shane P Singh,Jaroslav Tir |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/13691481221110765 |
| Published date | 01 November 2022 |
| Date | 01 November 2022 |
| Subject Matter | Original Articles |
https://doi.org/10.1177/13691481221110765
The British Journal of Politics and
International Relations
2022, Vol. 24(4) 598 –606
© The Author(s) 2022
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DOI: 10.1177/13691481221110765
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Does threat from COVID-19
stimulate attitudes amenable
to public cooperation? Evidence
from India
Shane P Singh1 and Jaroslav Tir2
Abstract
Especially before the development of vaccines, efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19 relied
heavily on public cooperation with health directives that highlight the virus’ existential threat. In
this article, we test whether exposure to information about threat from the pandemic induces in
individuals positive orientations towards their compatriots and society – thus providing the micro-
foundations of the ‘we are in this together’ sentiment that would bolster public cooperation.
Fielding a pre-registered experiment in the early days of the pandemic in India, we randomised
exposure to a vignette referencing the biological threat. We find no evidence that treatment
increased positive attitudes towards one’s compatriots or society. If anything, the treatment had
a negative effect, which bodes poorly for efforts to obtain public cooperation in the fight against
the virus.
Keywords
attitudes, COVID, India, experiments, public cooperation, threat
Overview
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is caused by severe acute respiratory syn-
drome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), swept the world in 2020 and led the World Health
Organization to declare a pandemic. By May of 2022, the virus had caused about 6.3 mil-
lion deaths globally (Worldometers.info, 2022). The virus spreads through direct and con-
tact transmission, leading to symptoms ranging from fever, cough, and myalgia to severe
respiratory failure. Beyond vaccination, preventive strategies relying on isolation and
community containment have been at the forefront of efforts to reduce the public spread
of virus (Umakanthan et al., 2020).
1Department of International Affairs, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
2Department of Political Science, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
Corresponding author:
Shane P Singh, Department of International Affairs, University of Georgia, 305 Candler Hall, Athens, GA
30602, USA.
Email: singh@uga.edu
1110765BPI0010.1177/13691481221110765The British Journal of Politics and International RelationsSingh et al.
research-article2022
Original Article
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