Using Social and Behavioural Science to Support COVID-19 Pandemic Response

Nature Human Behaviour 2020, 4, 460-471

50 Pages Posted: 2 Aug 2022

See all articles by Jay Van Bavel

Jay Van Bavel

New York University (NYU) - Department of Psychology; NHH Norwegian School of Economics

Katherine Baicker

University of Chicago - Harris School of Public Policy

Paulo Boggio

Mackenzie Presbyterian University - Social and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory

Valerio Capraro

Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca - Department of Psychology

Aleksandra Cichocka

University of Kent

Mina Cikara

Harvard University

Molly Crockett

University of Oxford

Alia Crum

Stanford University

Karen Douglas

University of Kent

James N. Druckman

University of Rochester - Department of Political Science; Northwestern University - Department of Political Science

John Drury

University of Sussex

Oeindrila Dube

University of Chicago - Harris School of Public Policy

Naomi Ellemers

University of Leiden - Department of Social and Organizational Psychology

Eli Finkel

Northwestern University - Department of Psychology

James H. Fowler

UC San Diego Division of Social Sciences; University of California, San Diego (UCSD) - Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health

Michele Joy Gelfand

University of Maryland

Shihui Han

Peking University - Department of Psychology

S. Alexander Haslam

University of Queensland

Jolanda Jetten

University of Queensland - School of Psychology

Shinobu Kitayama

Duke University

Dean Mobbs

California Institute of Technology (Caltech) - Department of Humanities and Social Sciences

Lucy Napper

University of Michigan at Ann Arbor - Department of Psychology

Dominic Packer

Lehigh University

Gordon Pennycook

University of Regina

Ellen Peters

University of Oregon - School of Journalism and Communication

Richard Petty

Ohio State University (OSU) - Department of Psychology

David G. Rand

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Steve Reicher

University of St. Andrews

Simone Schnall

University of Cambridge

Azim Shariff

University of British Columbia (UBC) - Department of Psychology

Linda J. Skitka

University of Illinois at Chicago

Sandra Susan Smith

Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS)

Cass R. Sunstein

Harvard Law School; Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS)

Nassim Tabri

Carleton University, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Department of Psychology

Joshua A. Tucker

New York University (NYU)

Sander van der Linden

University of Cambridge - Department of Psychology

Paul A. M. van Lange

Free University of Amsterdam

Kim Weeden

Cornell University - Department of Sociology

Michael Wohl

Carleton University

Jamil Zaki

Stanford University

Sean Zion

Stanford University - Department of Psychology

Robb Willer

Stanford University

Date Written: May 1, 2020

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic represents a massive global health crisis. Because the crisis requires large-scale behaviour change and places significant psychological burdens on individuals, insights from the social and behavioural sciences can be used to help align human behavior with the recommendations of epidemiologists and public health experts. Here we discuss evidence from a selection of research topics relevant to pandemics, including work on navigating threats, social and cultural influences on behaviour, science communication, moral decision-making, leadership, and stress and coping. In each section, we note the nature and quality of prior research, including uncertainty and unsettled issues. We identify several insights for effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and also highlight important gaps researchers should move quickly to fill in the coming weeks and months.

Keywords: COVID-19, health crisis, behaviour change, social sciences, behavioural sciences, perspective

JEL Classification: D02, D04, D91, D99,

Suggested Citation

Van Bavel, Jay and Baicker, Katherine and Boggio, Paulo and Capraro, Valerio and Cichocka, Aleksandra and Cikara, Mina and Crockett, Molly and Crum, Alia and Douglas, Karen and Druckman, James N. and Drury, John and Dube, Oeindrila and Ellemers, Naomi and Finkel, Eli and Fowler, James H. and Fowler, James H. and Gelfand, Michele Joy and Han, Shihui and Haslam, S. Alexander and Jetten, Jolanda and Kitayama, Shinobu and Mobbs, Dean and Napper, Lucy and Packer, Dominic and Pennycook, Gordon and Peters, Ellen and Petty, Richard and Rand, David G. and Reicher, Steve and Schnall, Simone and Shariff, Azim and Skitka, Linda J. and Smith, Sandra Susan and Sunstein, Cass R. and Tabri, Nassim and Tucker, Joshua Aaron and van der Linden, Sander and van Lange, Paul A. M. and Weeden, Kim and Wohl, Michael and Zaki, Jamil and Zion, Sean and Willer, Robb, Using Social and Behavioural Science to Support COVID-19 Pandemic Response (May 1, 2020). Nature Human Behaviour 2020, 4, 460-471, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4178356 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4178356

Jay Van Bavel (Contact Author)

New York University (NYU) - Department of Psychology ( email )

New York, NY 10003
United States

NHH Norwegian School of Economics

Helleveien 30
Bergen, NO-5045
Norway

Katherine Baicker

University of Chicago - Harris School of Public Policy ( email )

1155 East 60th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
United States

Paulo Boggio

Mackenzie Presbyterian University - Social and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory ( email )

São Paulo
Brazil

Valerio Capraro

Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca - Department of Psychology ( email )

Aleksandra Cichocka

University of Kent ( email )

Mina Cikara

Harvard University ( email )

1875 Cambridge Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Molly Crockett

University of Oxford ( email )

Mansfield Road
Oxford, Oxfordshire OX1 4AU
United Kingdom

Alia Crum

Stanford University ( email )

Stanford, CA 94305
United States

Karen Douglas

University of Kent ( email )

James N. Druckman

University of Rochester - Department of Political Science ( email )

Rochester, NY 14627
United States

Northwestern University - Department of Political Science ( email )

601 University Place (Scott Hall)
Evanston, IL 60201
United States
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John Drury

University of Sussex ( email )

Oeindrila Dube

University of Chicago - Harris School of Public Policy ( email )

1155 E 60th St
Chicago, IL 60637
United States

Naomi Ellemers

University of Leiden - Department of Social and Organizational Psychology ( email )

2333 CA Leiden, Zuid Holland
Netherlands

Eli Finkel

Northwestern University - Department of Psychology ( email )

Evanston, IL
United States

James H. Fowler

University of California, San Diego (UCSD) - Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health ( email )

La Jolla, CA
United States

HOME PAGE: http://jhfowler.ucsd.edu

UC San Diego Division of Social Sciences ( email )

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Code 0521
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Michele Joy Gelfand

University of Maryland ( email )

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College Park, MD 0742-4411
United States
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Shihui Han

Peking University - Department of Psychology ( email )

Beijing, 100871
China

S. Alexander Haslam

University of Queensland ( email )

St Lucia
Brisbane, Queensland 4072
Australia

Jolanda Jetten

University of Queensland - School of Psychology ( email )

4072 Brisbane, Queensland
Australia

Shinobu Kitayama

Duke University ( email )

100 Fuqua Drive
Durham, NC 27708-0204
United States

Dean Mobbs

California Institute of Technology (Caltech) - Department of Humanities and Social Sciences ( email )

United States

Lucy Napper

University of Michigan at Ann Arbor - Department of Psychology ( email )

Dominic Packer

Lehigh University ( email )

17 Memorial Dr. East
Bethlehem, PA 18015
United States

Gordon Pennycook

University of Regina ( email )

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Canada

Ellen Peters

University of Oregon - School of Journalism and Communication

Richard Petty

Ohio State University (OSU) - Department of Psychology ( email )

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United States

David G. Rand

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) ( email )

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Steve Reicher

University of St. Andrews ( email )

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United Kingdom

Simone Schnall

University of Cambridge ( email )

Trinity Ln
Cambridge, CB2 1TN
United Kingdom

Azim Shariff

University of British Columbia (UBC) - Department of Psychology ( email )

Linda J. Skitka

University of Illinois at Chicago ( email )

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Chicago, IL 60607
United States

Sandra Susan Smith

Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) ( email )

79 John F. Kennedy Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Cass R. Sunstein

Harvard Law School ( email )

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Areeda Hall 225
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States
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Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) ( email )

79 John F. Kennedy Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Nassim Tabri

Carleton University, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Department of Psychology ( email )

Joshua Aaron Tucker

New York University (NYU) ( email )

Bobst Library, E-resource Acquisitions
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New York, NY 10003-711
United States

Sander Van der Linden

University of Cambridge - Department of Psychology ( email )

Downing St.
Cambridge, CB2 3EB
United Kingdom

Paul A. M. Van Lange

Free University of Amsterdam

Amsterdam, ND North Holland
Netherlands

Kim Weeden

Cornell University - Department of Sociology ( email )

Michael Wohl

Carleton University ( email )

1125 colonel By Drive
Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5B6
Canada

Jamil Zaki

Stanford University ( email )

Stanford, CA 94305
United States

Sean Zion

Stanford University - Department of Psychology ( email )

Robb Willer

Stanford University ( email )

Stanford, CA 94305
United States

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