Learning from COVID-19: Infectious Disease Vulnerability Promotes Pro-Environmental Behaviors

Abstract

Environmental problems, such as climate change, pollution, and environmental degradation, are important contributors to the spread of infectious diseases, such as COVID-19 and SARS. For instance, a greater concentration of ambient NO2 was associated with faster transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19. However, it remains unclear whether outbreaks of infectious diseases arouse individuals’ concern on the need to protect the environment and therefore promote more pro-environmental behaviors. To this end, we examined the relationship between infectious disease vulnerability and pro-environmental behaviors using data from a cross-societal survey (N = 53 societies) and an experiment (N = 214 individuals). At both the societal and the individual levels, infectious disease vulnerability increased pro-environmental behaviors. At the societal level, this relationship was mediated by citizens’ level of environmental concern. At the individual level, the relationship was mediated by empathy. The findings show that infectious disease vulnerability is conducive to pro-environmental behaviors.