Predicting the U.S. Public’s Prosocial Responses during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This research examines three distinct processes that influence Americans’ prosocial responses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Employing a nationally representative sample, participants read either a mock-up news article on COVID-19 with a clear responsibility attribution (n = 496) or one without (n = 513) in a survey embedded experiment. Participants exposed to the responsibility attribution condition engaged in less systematic processing; systematic processing and all emotions mediated the relationship between responsibility attribution and support for government response measures. For donation intention, only systematic processing and the two socially oriented emotions were significant mediators. In essence, responsibility attribution in media coverage can exert powerful influence on public perception in an ongoing crisis.