Psychological Correlates of Prosocial (Social Distancing,
Disinfecting, and News Monitoring) and Antisocial behaviors
(Hoarding) during COVID-19 in the Netherlands
Abstract
The new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has had a major impact on the daily lives of humans. In the
Netherlands, the government decided to go into an ‘intelligent lockdown’. However, people seem to differ in the
way that they adapt to this situation. Some engage in prosocial behaviors, while others engage more in antisocial
behaviors. Oosterhoff and Palmer (2020) looked into these behaviors already. The current study aimed to
replicate and extend their findings in a different population. Predictors of prosocial behaviors (social distancing,
disinfecting, and news monitoring) and antisocial behaviors (hoarding) were studied. The sample consisted of
177 participants, of which all lived in the Netherlands and all were adults. The results of this study show that
pandemic-related behaviors can be predicted by different factors. It seems that prosocial behaviors such as
disinfecting and social distancing are the result of greater attitudes about COVID-19 severity. To stimulate these
prosocial behaviors, the government could emphasize this severity. Antisocial behaviors such as hoarding
supplies can be predicted by the amount of social trust that a person has. Even though some values might be hard
to change, targeting these psychological beliefs may be an effective way to reduce antisocial behaviors such as
hoarding.
Bachelor Thesis Psychology
Date: 19-06-2020
Introduction
On the 11th of March in 2020, the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak was declared a
pandemic. The COVID-19 is an infectious and sometimes deadly disease. It has over 6,2,000 million
confirmed cases and 380,000 deaths worldwide as of June 4. This led different countries to come up
with different measures. For example, in the Netherlands, the government decided to go into an
‘intelligent lockdown’ as of March 23. This lockdown involved forbidding all meetings with more
than 100 people and working from home. All schools were closed, and non-essential travelling was
1
Disinfecting, and News Monitoring) and Antisocial behaviors
(Hoarding) during COVID-19 in the Netherlands
Abstract
The new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has had a major impact on the daily lives of humans. In the
Netherlands, the government decided to go into an ‘intelligent lockdown’. However, people seem to differ in the
way that they adapt to this situation. Some engage in prosocial behaviors, while others engage more in antisocial
behaviors. Oosterhoff and Palmer (2020) looked into these behaviors already. The current study aimed to
replicate and extend their findings in a different population. Predictors of prosocial behaviors (social distancing,
disinfecting, and news monitoring) and antisocial behaviors (hoarding) were studied. The sample consisted of
177 participants, of which all lived in the Netherlands and all were adults. The results of this study show that
pandemic-related behaviors can be predicted by different factors. It seems that prosocial behaviors such as
disinfecting and social distancing are the result of greater attitudes about COVID-19 severity. To stimulate these
prosocial behaviors, the government could emphasize this severity. Antisocial behaviors such as hoarding
supplies can be predicted by the amount of social trust that a person has. Even though some values might be hard
to change, targeting these psychological beliefs may be an effective way to reduce antisocial behaviors such as
hoarding.
Bachelor Thesis Psychology
Date: 19-06-2020
Introduction
On the 11th of March in 2020, the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak was declared a
pandemic. The COVID-19 is an infectious and sometimes deadly disease. It has over 6,2,000 million
confirmed cases and 380,000 deaths worldwide as of June 4. This led different countries to come up
with different measures. For example, in the Netherlands, the government decided to go into an
‘intelligent lockdown’ as of March 23. This lockdown involved forbidding all meetings with more
than 100 people and working from home. All schools were closed, and non-essential travelling was
1
