Class differences in gratitude and entitlement drive response to COVID‐19 measures

Abstract

AbstractOwing to the COVID‐19 pandemic, strict government interventions in China have been implemented for more than 3 years as of 2023. How do people of high or low social class respond to the prolonged COVID‐19 measures? Recent evidence has yielded inconsistent conclusions. In this study, we move beyond such debate and focus on the underlying motives that are closely related to both social class and COVID‐19 measure responses. Using a large Chinese sample (N = 1193, 48.50% women, Mage = 30.92 years, SD = 6.08), we found that participants with higher (vs. lower) social class, whether subjective or objective, reported greater gratitude, which in turn increased their willingness to support COVID‐19 measures (i.e. greater public health support and self‐prevention behaviour, and less pandemic burnout). However, those with higher (vs. lower) subjective social class also reported more psychological entitlement, which decreased their willingness to support COVID‐19 measures (i.e. less public health support and greater pandemic burnout). These findings contribute to a nuanced understanding of how social class may influence people's response to COVID‐19 measures.