Superstitious beliefs, locus of control, and feeling at risk in the face of Covid-19

Arvid Hoffmann, Daria Plotkina, Patrick Roger and D’Hondt, Catherine
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Arvid Hoffmann: University of Adelaide
Daria Plotkina: University of Strasbourg
D’Hondt, Catherine: Université catholique de Louvain, LIDAM/LFIN, Belgium

No 2022010, LIDAM Reprints LFIN from Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain Finance (LFIN)

Abstract: Unprecedented uncertainty during the Covid-19 pandemic stimulated anxiety among individuals, while the associated health restrictions contributed to a feeling of loss of control. Prior research suggests that, in times of crisis, some individuals rely on superstitious beliefs as a coping mechanism, but it remains unclear whether superstition is positively or negatively associated with fear of Covid-19 during the pandemic, and the role that individuals' locus of control plays in this regard. In two studies conducted among individuals in Belgium and the U.S., we therefore examined the relationship between superstitious beliefs, locus of control, and feeling at risk of Covid-19. Across both countries, we found that superstition is positively, and internal locus of control negatively, related with feeling at risk of Covid-19. Moreover, in Belgium, the effect of superstition was less pronounced for individuals with a higher level of internal locus of control. The absence of an interaction effect between su- perstition and locus of control in the U.S. could be explained by this country's higher level of superstitious beliefs and lower level of internal locus of control combined with a stronger feeling of being at risk of Covid-19 or cultural differences such as Belgium's higher uncertainty avoidance compared to the U.S.

Keywords: Covid-19; Fear; Feeling at risk; Locus of control; Pandemic; Superstitious beliefs (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 10
Date: 2022-05-10
Note: In: Personality and Individual Differences, 2022, vol. 196, 111718
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ajf:louvlr:2022010

DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2022.111718

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