The pandemic and the question of national belonging: Exposure to covid-19 threat and conceptions of nationhood.

Drawing on the behavioural immune system hypothesis, we argue that the prevalence of the Covid-19 pandemic threat in an individual's respective environment relates to exclusive, ethnic conceptions of nationhood. Referring to the affective intelligence theory, we maintain that specific negative emotions are prompted by the perception of being exposed to a pandemic threat, and these emotional states in turn structure political preferences regarding national belonging. Using an original survey in six European countries during the first peak of the pandemic in late April and early May 2020, we analyze both the impact of individual Covid-19 experiences and the contextual exposure to a pandemic threat through hierarchical analyses of 105 European regions. Our empirical analysis shows that exposure to the pandemic is linked to stronger ethnic national identities for both levels of analysis. We also find that anger substantially mediates this relationship and has primacy over feelings of fear. Taken together, our results indicate that the behavioural immune system appears as a pervasive obstacle to inclusive orientations.

The Emotional Foundations of Political Support: How Fear and Anger Affect Trust in the Government in Times of the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Crises like the current coronavirus pandemic evoke negative emotions in the general public. To date, however, little research has been conducted on the influence of these mental states on trust in the government - the uncontested key player in times of crises. Drawing on the appraisal and affective intelligence theories of emotions, we argue that fear and anger as the two crucial negative emotions in times of crises have divergent effects on trust in the government: Whereas fear leads to a rally-'round-the-flag effect increasing trust in the government, anger attributes blame for the adverse circumstances to the government. We present empirical evidence for our arguments with an original three-wave online panel survey of 1'600 Swiss residents during the unprecedented times of the coronavirus pandemic. Our analysis provides empirical support for our arguments and further shows that the relationship is strongest for right-wing respondents.

Des crises telles que l'actuelle pandémie de Covid­19 suscitent des émotions négatives dans le grand public. Cependant, peu de recherches ont été menées jusqu'à présent concernant la manière dont ces émotions affectent la confiance dans le gouvernement ­ le facteur clé incontesté en temps de crise. En s'appuyant sur la 'appraisal theory' et la 'affective intelligence theory', nous soutenons que la peur et la colère, qui sont les deux principales émotions négatives en temps de crise, ont des effets divergents sur la confiance dans le gouvernement : alors que la peur entraîne un effet 'rally­'round­the­flag' et augmente ainsi la confiance dans le gouvernement, la colère impute au gouvernement la responsabilité des conditions défavorables. À l'aide de notre propre enquête de panel en trois vagues menée en ligne pendant la crise auprès de 1'600 participants issus de la population résidente suisse, nous fournissons des preuves empiriques qui étayent nos arguments. Notre analyse apporte un soutien empirique à nos arguments et montre en outre que la relation est la plus forte pour les répondants de droite.