A world together: Global citizen identification as a basis for prosociality in the face of COVID-19

Abstract

How do global citizens respond to a global health emergency? The present research examined the association between global citizen identification and prosociality using two cross-national datasets-the World Values Survey (Study 1, N = 93,338 from 60 countries and regions) and data collected in 11 countries at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic (Study 2, N = 5,427). Results showed that individuals who identified more strongly as global citizens reported greater prosociality both generally (Study 1) and more specifically in the COVID-19 global health emergency (Study 2). Notably, global citizen identification was a stronger predictor of prosociality in response to COVID-19 than national identification (Study 2). Moreover, analyses revealed that shared ingroup identity accounted for the positive association between global citizen identification and prosociality (Study 2). Overall, these findings highlight global citizenship as a unique and promising direction in promoting prosociality and solidarity, especially in the fight against COVID-19.

Keywords: global citizen; national identification; prosociality; shared ingroup identity; the COVID-19 pandemic.

Figure 1a.

Mediation models predicting combative prosocial behaviors: Study 2. Note. Upper panel: shared ingroup identity mediates the relationship between global citizen identification and combative prosocial behaviors. Lower panel: shared ingroup identity mediates the relationship between national identification and combative prosocial behaviors. Standardized coefficients are shown. On the c (c’) path, the value outside parentheses is the total effect, and the value in parentheses is the direct effect. *p < .05. **p < .01.

Figure 1b.

Mediation models predicting preventative prosocial behaviors: Study 2. Note. Upper panel: shared ingroup identity mediates the relationship between global citizen identification and preventative prosocial behaviors. Lower panel: shared ingroup identity mediates the relationship between national identification and preventative prosocial behaviors in relation to COVID-19. Standardized coefficients are shown. On the c (c’) path, the value outside parentheses is the total effect, and the value in parentheses is the direct effect. *p < .05. **p < .01.

Figure 2a.

Mediation models predicting combative prosocial behaviors when global citizen and national identifications are controlled for each other: Study 2. Note. Upper panel: shared ingroup identity mediates the relationship between global citizen identification and combative prosocial behaviors. Lower panel: shared ingroup identity mediates the relationship between national identification and combative prosocial behaviors. Standardized coefficients are shown. On the c (c’) path, the value outside parentheses is the total effect, and the value in parentheses is the direct effect. *p < .05. **p < .01.

Figure 2b.

Mediation models predicting preventative prosocial behaviors when global citizen and national identifications are controlled for each other: Study 2. Note. Upper panel: shared ingroup identity mediates the relationship between global citizen identification and preventative prosocial behaviors. Lower panel: shared ingroup identity mediates the relationship between national identification and preventative prosocial behaviors. Standardized coefficients are shown. On the c (c’) path, the value outside parentheses is the total effect, and the value in parentheses is the direct effect. *p < .05. **p < .01.