Does threat from COVID-19 stimulate attitudes amenable to public cooperation? Evidence from India

Especially before the development of vaccines, efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19 relied heavily on public cooperation with health directives that highlight the virus’ existential threat. In this article, we test whether exposure to information about threat from the pandemic induces in individuals positive orientations towards their compatriots and society – thus providing the micro-foundations of the ‘we are in this together’ sentiment that would bolster public cooperation. Fielding a pre-registered experiment in the early days of the pandemic in India, we randomised exposure to a vignette referencing the biological threat. We find no evidence that treatment increased positive attitudes towards one’s compatriots or society. If anything, the treatment had a negative effect, which bodes poorly for efforts to obtain public cooperation in the fight against the virus.