Collectivism and Altruistic Behavior: A Third-Person Effect Study of COVID-19 News Among Wuhan Residents

Yicheng Zhu, Ran Wei*, Ven Hwei Lo, Mingxin Zhang, Zongya Li

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

9 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This study examines the third-person effects of COVID-19 news among Wuhan residents during the peak of the outbreaks in the city. Using data collected in a telephone survey of 1,071 Wuhan residents, results show that respondents believed others were more influenced by the COVID-19 news. However, the more the respondents systematically processed the news through elaboration and the more they were oriented toward collectivist values, the smaller the self-other perceptual gap. Finally, results suggest the moderating effect of collectivism on the relationship between perceived effects of COVID news and altruistic behavior—collectivism enhances the influence of perceived effects on others on adoption of altruistic behavior. The influence of culture in shaping risk perception and behavioral responses is discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)476-491
Number of pages16
JournalGlobal Media and China
Volume6
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2021

Scopus Subject Areas

  • Cultural Studies
  • Communication

User-Defined Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • culture collectivism
  • elaboration
  • promotional and altruistic behaviors
  • third-person effects

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Collectivism and Altruistic Behavior: A Third-Person Effect Study of COVID-19 News Among Wuhan Residents'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this