Showing papers in "Asian Journal of Social Psychology in 2021"

Majority world successes and European and American failure to contain COVID-19: Cultural collectivism and global leadership

Abstract: United Nations and World Health Organization data show a positive correlation, r = 53, p < 0001, N = 189, between COVID-19 infection rates and the human development index (HDI) Less wealthy, less educated countries with lower life spans were also more successful in maintaining lower fatality rates, r = 46, p < 0001, N = 189 whereas 9 of the top-10 countries in the world in per capita fatalities due to COVID-19 were Western societies high in HDI Similar positive correlations were found between COVID-19 infection and fatality rates and a smaller sample of 76 countries measured on Schwartz intellectual autonomy (or individualism), and negative correlations of similar magnitude were found for embeddedness (or collectivism) East Asia was a global leader in preventing the spread of COVID-19 because of a vigilant public concerned for public safety and compliant with public safety measures African Union leaders coordinated their responses, and bought into a continent-wide African Medical Supplies Platform that prevented panicked competition for scare supplies Western global media and scholars have not paid attention to the successes of East Asia, Africa, and the South Pacific in fighting the pandemic It is worth asking why this should be the case;understand the weaknesses of extreme individualism in fighting a pandemic requiring coordinated and unified public response, and consider the lessons for global scholars from the pandemic for doing research in the future

Effects of containment and closure policies on controlling the COVID-19 pandemic in East Asia

Abstract: Growing efforts have been made to pool coronavirus data and control measures from countries and regions to compare the effectiveness of government policies. We examine whether these strategies can explain East Asia's effective control of the COVID-19 pandemic based on time-series data with cross-correlations between the Stringency Index and number of confirmed cases during the early period of outbreaks. We suggest that multidisciplinary empirical research in healthcare and social sciences, personality, and social psychology is needed for a clear understanding of how cultural values, social norms, and individual predispositions interact with policy to affect life-saving behavioural changes in different societies.

The perception of economic inequality in everyday life: My friends with the most and least money

Abstract: The study of perceived economic differences in everyday life is relevant to deepen the knowledge of how inequality shapes psychological processes. In the current research, Spanish undergraduates (N=547) were asked what their friends with the most and least money could do with their resources. Using a qualitative and quantitative approach, we performed a content analysis of the 1,085 open-ended responses given, ran latent class analyses with the coded material to identify groups of participants, and explored whether class membership was associated with their awareness of inequality and support for redistribution. Participants perceived inequality among their friends through daily indicators such as consumption, opportunities, leisure, and mental health; some participants used compensatory strategies to mitigate perceived inequality. Latent class analyses suggested that participants differed mostly in the attention paid to consumption and in the use of compensatory strategies. Exploratory analyses suggested that perceiving inequality in everyday life in terms of consumption, negative attributes towards the wealthy, or positive attributes towards low socioeconomic groups was related to acknowledging economic differences among individuals and support for redistribution. The study of perceived economic inequality in everyday life continues a new line of research with the potential to obtain results more consistent with people's experiences.

Social motives of university students in seven countries: Measurement development and validation

Abstract: Emiko S. Kashima, Nicholas Plusnin, Danielle P. Ochoa, Hongfei Du, Johannes Klackl, Getrude C. Ah Gang, Su Wan Gan, Siti Nor Yaacob, Shin Ling Wu, Tamara Qumseya, Gandalf Nicolas, and Susan T. Fiske La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria, University Malaysia Sabah, Sabah,Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Petaling Jaya,Universiti Putra Malaysia, Seri Kembangan,Sunway University, Subang Jaya, Malaysia, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand, Rutgers University, New BrunswickNew Jersey, and Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA

Are emotionally intelligent people happier? A meta‐analysis of the relationship between emotional intelligence and subjective well‐being using Chinese samples

Abstract: To assess an overall correlation between emotional intelligence (EI) and subjective well-being (SWB) within Chinese culture, accounting for possible moderating factors, we conducted a meta-analysis of 119 correlations obtained from 62 studies with a total sample size of 29,922. The results uncovered a moderately positive correlation, r = .32, 95% CI [0.29, 0.36], p < .001, between EI and SWB. The strength of the correlation was moderated by EI stream, SWB component, participant’s age, and participant’s employment status. Specifically, this association was stronger when EI was measured as self-report mixed EI, r = .49, and self-report ability EI, r = .32, than when it was measured as performance-based ability EI, r = .08. In addition, EI was more strongly associated with the cognitive components of SWB, r = .32, than with the affective component of SWB, r = .29, and the EI–SWB association was stronger in adults, r = .33, than in adolescents, r = .25. Furthermore, EI was more closely related to SWB in working adults, r = .43, compared to students, r = .29, and EI was almost equally associated with SWB across males and females, b = .08, p = .55. The results, as well as their theoretical and practical implications, are discussed in detail with reference to relevant cross-cultural theories and comparative empirical findings.

Are you interested in economic inequality? Depends on where you live

Abstract: Although several scholars and international institutions have considered high levels of economic inequality an issue for society, the populations who live in more unequal countries tend to be less concerned about it Given the ideological connotations in the construct of people’s concerns about economic inequality, whether those who live in more unequal countries are more interested in economic inequality remains unclear In this research, we aimed to examine whether objective economic inequality is related to individuals’ interest in the topic of economic inequality First, we used data from the United States Census Bureau and Google Trends to examine whether the objective level of economic inequality predicted the interest of the population in searching Google for terms such as “economic inequality” and “income inequality” Our results showed that individuals who live in more economically unequal US states more often search these terms Second, we analysed the tweets that contained the terms “economic inequality” and “income inequality” (10,118 tweets) published over 9 days and localised by US state We found that individuals who live in more economically unequal US states more often post tweets about economic and income inequality To take a closer look at the narrative around economic/income inequality, we conducted a network analysis using tweets as nodes and retweets as edges Our results suggest that the public narrative about economic inequality via Twitter was built on three large communities Finally, we discuss the implications of our results in relation to economic inequality consequences