Should I donate secondhand clothes? Cognitive, affective, and conative model during the COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the secondhand clothes (SHC) donating behavior phenomenon using the cognitive-affective-conative model and examines the moderating role of COVID-19 knowledge on the relationship between the desire to donate and actual SHC donating behavior. Design/methodology/approachA total of 160 questionnaires were distributed to potential participants who donated their clothes to thrift shops during the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA. FindingsA total of 145 useable surveys were collected for analysis. The study found that the desire to donate SHC plays an essential role in enhancing actual SHC donating behavior. In addition, the study found that perceived responsibility and altruistic fear positively influence the desire to donate SHC. In contrast, individuals' COVID-19 knowledge does not moderate the relationship between the desire to donate SHC and actual SHC donating behavior. Originality/valueA limited empirical study uses the cognitive-affective-conative approach to SHC donating behavior. The findings of this study enhance the body of SHC's theoretical knowledge and enhance individuals' participation in donation programs in support of their community and humanitarian programs.

Collective Value Promotes the Willingness to Share Provaccination Messages on Social Media in China: Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: The proliferation of vaccine misinformation on social media has seriously corrupted the public's confidence in vaccination. Proactively sharing provaccination messages on social media is a cost-effective way to enhance global vaccination rates and resist vaccine misinformation. However, few strategies for encouraging the public to proactively share vaccine-related knowledge on social media have been developed. OBJECTIVE: This research examines the effect of value type (individual vs collective) and message framing (gain vs loss) on influenza vaccination intention (experiment 1) and the willingness to share provaccination messages (experiment 2) among Chinese adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. The primary aim was to evaluate whether messages that emphasized collective value were more effective in increasing the willingness to share than messages that emphasized individual value. METHODS: We enrolled 450 Chinese adults for experiment 1 (n=250, 55.6%) and experiment 2 (n=200, 44.4%). Participants were randomly assigned to individual-gain, individual-loss, collective-gain, or collective-loss conditions with regard to the message in each experiment using the online survey platform's randomization function. Experiment 1 also included a control group. The primary outcome was influenza vaccination intention in experiment 1 and the willingness to share provaccination messages in experiment 2. RESULTS: The valid sample included 213 adults in experiment 1 (females: n=151, 70.9%; mean age 29 [SD 9] years; at least some college education: n=202, 94.8%; single: n=131, 61.5%) and 171 adults in experiment 2 (females: n=106, 62.0%; mean age 28 [SD 7] years; at least some college education: n=163, 95.3%; single: n=95, 55.6%). Influenza vaccination intention was stronger in the individual-value conditions than in the collective-value conditions (F3,166=4.96, P=.03, η2=0.03). The reverse result was found for the willingness to share provaccination messages (F3,165=6.87, P=.01, η2=0.04). Specifically, participants who received a message emphasizing collective value had a higher intention to share the message than participants who read a message emphasizing individual value (F3,165=6.87, P=.01, η2=0.04), and the perceived responsibility for message sharing played a mediating role (indirect effect=0.23, 95% lower limit confidence interval [LLCI] 0.41, 95% upper limit confidence interval [ULCI] 0.07). In addition, gain framing facilitated influenza vaccination intention more than loss framing (F3,166=5.96, P=.02, η2=0.04). However, experiment 2 did not find that message framing affected message-sharing willingness. Neither experiment found an interaction between value type and message framing. CONCLUSIONS: Strengthened individual value rather than collective value is more likely to persuade Chinese adults to vaccinate. However, these adults are more likely to share a message that emphasizes collective rather than individual value, and the perceived responsibility for message sharing plays a mediating role.

Engaging in Sustainable Consumption: Exploring the Influence of Environmental Attitudes, Values, Personal Norms, and Perceived Responsibility

This study explores the links between environmental attitudes and values, personal norms, perceived responsibility, pro-environmental and prosocial engagement in sustainable consumption, and sustainable consumption behavior. Data was collected by surveying 904 Lithuanians through non-random quota sampling. Empirical research reveals that internal factors, such as environmental attitudes, values, personal norms, and perceived responsibility, have a positive direct effect on engagement with sustainable consumption. In addition, the findings indicate that pro-environmental and prosocial engagement to act as a mediator in enhancing the impact on sustainable consumer behavior. The results of this study expand the understanding of the engagement phenomena and how it can assist in shifting to sustainable consumer behavior in the Lithuanian context. Opportunities to encourage sustainable consumption behavior are presented for marketers and policy makers.

Which CSR message most appeals to you? The role of message framing, psychological ownership, perceived responsibility and customer altruistic values

COVID-19 has led the hospitality industry to increase focus on the role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) messages that can increase positive brand behaviors. Thus, Study 1 examines the effects of CSR message and customer altruism using a 2 (CSR message: cause promotion vs. advocacy advertising) × 2 (Customer altruistic values: high vs. low) between-subjects experimental design. Building upon Study 1′s findings, Study 2 investigates the effect of psychological ownership and the mediating role of perceived responsibility using a 2 (CSR message: psychological ownership vs. cause promotion) × 2 (Customer altruistic values: high vs. low) between subjects’ experiment. Results show the interaction effect of altruistic value and the moderated mediation effect of perceived responsibility, contributing to the gaps surrounding CSR messages as well as providing implications for hospitality businesses to optimize the application of CSR messages.

Reckless spreader or blameless victim? How vaccination status affects responses to COVID-19 patients.

BACKGROUND: Vaccination against Covid-19 has become an increasingly polarizing issue in western democracies. While much research has focused on social-psychological determinants of vaccine hesitancy, less is known about the attitudes and behaviors of the vaccinated populations towards those who are unvaccinated. Building on Weiner's attribution theory (2005, 1985, 1980), we predict that vaccination status determines the attribution of personal responsibility and blame in Covid-19 social dilemmas. This in turn explains people's affective and behavioral responses towards those who have fallen ill or infected others with COVID-19. APPROACH: Through two preregistered experiments (total N = 1200) we show that people attribute greater personal responsibility when unvaccinated (vs. vaccinated) people fall ill from, or infect others with COVID-19. This attribution of responsibility manifested in less sympathy towards unvaccinated COVID-19 patients, which was associated with a lower willingness to help patients and their families (Study 1). Likewise, higher perceived responsibility results in greater anger towards unvaccinated people who had (involuntarily) infected others with the virus, which was associated with a greater desire for punitive actions (Study 2). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that unvaccinated people experience blame as well as negative attitudes and behaviors from the vaccinated population. This could in turn strengthen people's refusal to get vaccinated and increase polarization between vaccine supporters and vaccine critics.

Prosocial behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. The role of responsibility and vulnerability.

In two pre-registered and fully incentivized studies (N = 501), we investigate prosocial behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. Based on a comparison with pre-pandemic data, Study 1 shows that individuals' general prosociality measured with a (context-independent) Social Value Orientation Slider changed significantly before vs. during the early stage of the pandemic towards increased prosociality. In addition, we identified pandemic-specific context factors for prosocial behavior measured by a series of Dictator games with different recipients. Allocations in the Dictator game increased with the giver's responsibility and the recipients' vulnerability to the virus. Study 2 replicates and extends this finding in a sample representative for the adult German population in terms of age and gender. We show that, for different actors (self, recipient, politicians), different dimensions of responsibility (responsibility to help, responsibility for the problem cause, and for the solution) are associated with prosocial behavior. Contrary to what could be expected from diffusion of responsibility, prosocial behavior increased not only when individuals themselves felt responsible to help but also when they perceived politicians to be responsible to help. Assigning responsibility for the cause of the COVID-19 crisis to recipients and politicians was associated with a decrease in prosocial behavior. However, responsibility for the solution had no influence. We discuss implications for public policies.