Facilitating the public response to COVID-19 by harnessing group processes
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Sussex
Department Name: Sch of Psychology
Abstract
There is international recognition that effective response to Covid-19 is dependent upon the public acting collectively and for the common good. This is important in terms of adherence to preventative measures, which, especially for low-risk groups, is as much about protecting others as protecting oneself. It is important in terms of volunteering and mutual aid, which is critical in complementing the official response by supporting and sustaining people through the pandemic. It is also important in terms of maintaining social cohesion and avoiding social disorder.
This multi-method project builds upon understandings of psychological group processes to address how to develop and sustain shared identity and social solidarity during pandemics. It is organised around three interrelated strands that together address the issues of adherence, mutual aid and social order.
The first strand uses experiments to examine the impact of collective identification on adherence, the role of leadership in developing collective identification, and how coverage of others' positive or negative behaviours (e.g., volunteering vs. stockpiling) impacts collective identity and adherence to preventative measures.
The second strand uses interview and survey methods to understand why people join emergent mutual aid groups, the effects of participation upon efficacy and well-being, and how such groups can be sustained over time.
The third strand uses ethnographic interviews to examine the UK's security and civil contingency response to the pandemic and enforcement data to understand how responder actions impact upon community relations, adherence and social tensions.
This multi-method project builds upon understandings of psychological group processes to address how to develop and sustain shared identity and social solidarity during pandemics. It is organised around three interrelated strands that together address the issues of adherence, mutual aid and social order.
The first strand uses experiments to examine the impact of collective identification on adherence, the role of leadership in developing collective identification, and how coverage of others' positive or negative behaviours (e.g., volunteering vs. stockpiling) impacts collective identity and adherence to preventative measures.
The second strand uses interview and survey methods to understand why people join emergent mutual aid groups, the effects of participation upon efficacy and well-being, and how such groups can be sustained over time.
The third strand uses ethnographic interviews to examine the UK's security and civil contingency response to the pandemic and enforcement data to understand how responder actions impact upon community relations, adherence and social tensions.
Publications
Davidson L
(2020)
Covid-19: What works in an effective multi-agency response, Part III
Davidson L
(2020)
Recommendations to promote an effective multi-agency response
Davidson L
(2020)
Covid-19: What works in an effective multi-agency response, Part II
Davidson, L
(2020)
Coming together to respond to Covid-19
in Crisis Response
Drury J
(2020)
Public behaviour in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: understanding the role of group processes.
in BJPsych open
Drury J
(2021)
Re-opening live events and large venues after Covid-19 'lockdown': Behavioural risks and their mitigations
in Safety Science
Epton T
(2022)
Interventions to promote physical distancing behaviour during infectious disease pandemics or epidemics: A systematic review.
in Social science & medicine (1982)
| Description | 1. Our work on Covid mutual aid groups has achieved a number of findings. Overall activity in mutual aid groups (as measured on social media posts) declined over 2020 from the high point of March. Those who participate in such groups can benefit in terms of wellbeing and a sense of efficacy, which could be factors in sustaining involvement. Organizers have a number of strategies to maintain their groups, including self-care, communication, and horizontal form of organization. Organizers would like more formal support (e.g., pay, assistance from local authorities) to sustain their groups. Our survey found that (1) where mutual aid groups organize social events and (2) where the group had good relations with other groups (e.g. charities), this was associated with enduring involvement among new volunteers, especially amongst those with low previous experience. 2. Our work on the civil contingencies response has found that the Covid-19 pandemic created unprecedented challenges for policing. The ability of police to effectively implement the public engagement-oriented strategy, particularly where enforcement was necessary, was hindered by the gaps between the legislation and regulations, the guidance, and conflicting statements made, in particular, by politicians to the public via the media. Police officers have found themselves caught between the national guidance to engage first and only to enforce as a last resort, and pressures to punish 'rule breakers' from Ministers, other politicians, the media, Chief Constables and/or sections of local communities. For the civil contingencies sector more broadly, an increasingly effective localised approach developed. However, national government organisations imposed central control on aspects of the response in ways that undermined or misaligned with local preparedness. 3. Our work on public adherence has identified a number of factors which influence adoption of COVID-19 preventative measures. Some measures (e.g. wearing masks in indoor public spaces) have consistently high levels of adoption, while other measures (e.g. avoiding crowded spaces) are more dependent on the individual's age, perceptions of the risk of COVID-19, and ease with which they are able to take those measures. Motivations for taking measures are also affected by age, with older respondents adopting them more out of concern for their own personal safety than for the safety of others. Our experimental work highlights that preventative behaviour is motivated more by concern for infecting others than concerns about personal infection (e.g. in decreasing the amount of time a symptomatic individual will wait before booking a COVID-19 test). However, greater familiarity or high shared identity with other individuals may increase transmission risk by reducing physical distancing. We have also found that views on a COVID-19 vaccine (including the participant's willingness to have that vaccine and their expectations about its safety and effectiveness) are dependent on the vaccine's country of origin and strength of national identity. The extent to which individuals self-isolate when required to also varies with the amount of support they have and how much they expect others in their local community to self-isolate. |
| Exploitation Route | 1, We are working with mutual aid group organizers who have fed into our research designs examining factors that sustain involvement. We created resources which have been disseminated on social media and via the British Psychological Society and which have been picked up by both community groups and academics: https://www.sussex.ac.uk/research/projects/groups-and-covid/community-support-and-mutual-aid/stories-mutual-aid-covid-solidarity Our findings have also fed into several SPI-B reports, used by SAGE/ Cabinet Office which are being used to inform decisions on public adherence.. 2. The research outcomes of our ongoing work on the civil contingencies and policing response have been fed back directly to operational commanders in ways that have helped shape their understandings of the problems they have been faced with as well as their strategic and tactical responses. We are currently producing papers to evidence this impact. In addition, the research outputs have informed several papers produced by the SPI-B Policing and Security sub-Group. These papers have secured important contributions to policy makers. For example, our paper on policing and security considerations was informed by our research outcomes and generated the following feedback from the SAGE Secretariat: "The final paper was provided to Cabinet Office and Home Office teams last week and we have noted that some key points from this paper, as well as from earlier SPI-B Policing and Security papers, have been picked up in discussions at the centre of government. This reconfirms the impact and importance of the work you jointly produce as a group." |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Healthcare,Government, Democracy and Justice,Security and Diplomacy |
| URL | https://www.sussex.ac.uk/research/projects/groups-and-covid/people-outputs-impact/outputs |
| Description | Several of the findings from this project have fed into SPI-B reports, used by SAGE/ Cabinet Office and other government departments. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/952799/s1020-Reducing-within-between-household-transmission.pdf This document draws upon our recent work on mutual aid groups to analyse what is needed to help support self-isolation - see Annex B. SPI-B (2020). Role of Community Champions networks to increase engagement in context of COVID-19: evidence and best practice. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/role-of-community-champions-networks-to-increase-engagement-in-context-of-covid-19-evidence-and-best-practice-22-october-2020 We provided a rapid review of the evidence on public volunteering for this document, including extensive analysis of the activities and nature of mutual aid groups. We are currently running a series of workshops on the psychology of crises for civil servants. Attendance at the first one (Feb 2022) was ~64 and included people from Cabinet Office, Behavioural Science, UKHSA, BEIS, Education, MoD, Digital Justice, DWP, DHSC, HMRC. The Head of Behavioural Science in the Prime Minister's Office stated: 'We shared lots of the content with No10 and other x-govt colleagues, and are applying it across multiple projects. I can't share details of the concrete projects but wanted you to know that it has spread wide and far and is received brilliantly - shaping how we're approaching "how would people react to [crisis x]" and "how should we communicate with the public in [crisis x]" questions'. We created resources which have been picked up by community groups : https://www.sussex.ac.uk/research/projects/groups-and-covid/community-support-and-mutual-aid/stories-mutual-aid-covid-solidarity We organized a dialogue event with covid mutual aid groups in November 2021. 35 people attended. An organizer of Oxford mutual aid considered the advice provided a the event "very useful" and intends to discuss it with their group We have been working with the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action to enhance the interface between mutual aid groups and local infrastructure organizations. The research outcomes of our ongoing work on the civil contingencies and policing response have been fed back directly to operational commanders in ways that have helped shape their understandings of the problems they have been faced with as well as their strategic and tactical responses. We are currently producing papers to evidence this impact. In addition, the research outputs have informed several papers produced by the SPI-B Policing and Security sub-Group. These papers have secured important contributions to policy makers. For example, our paper on policing and security considerations was informed by our research outcomes and it was a paper that generated the following feedback from the SAGE Secretariat: "The final paper was provided to Cabinet Office and Home Office teams last week and we have noted that some key points from this paper, as well as from earlier SPI-B Policing and Security papers, have been picked up in discussions at the centre of government. This reconfirms the impact and importance of the work you jointly produce as a group." The preliminary findings on public adherence to mitigation measures are being used by the Scottish government via Prof Reicher's membership of the Scottish CMO's Advisory group, the Scottish Government compliance group, Scottish Government Nosocomial Infection group, the subgroup (taskforce) of the Nosocomial infection group on behavioural interventions, and the Scottish Government Expert Advisory Group on Public engagement. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2020 |
| Sector | Government, Democracy and Justice |
| Impact Types | Societal,Policy & public services |
| Description | Authoring and providing systematic review for SPI-B/ SAGE report |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| URL | https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/role-of-community-champions-networks-to-increase-engageme... |
| Description | Communities Prepared National Group webinar |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Description | Membership of Scottish CMO's advisory group for Covid (Prof Reicher) |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Prof Reicher gave evidence to the All Party Parliamentary Group on COVID, to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee and to the COVID-19 Citizens Panel of the Scottish Parliament. |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Description | Resilience Strategy Call for Evidence |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/national-resilience-strategy-call-for-evidence |
| Description | An online event: "Sustaining mutual aid and community support groups: Covid-19 and beyond" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | We delivered an online event that included academic presentations from our team, presentations from an organizer of a mutual aid group organizer, and a presentation from Head of Membership, the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action. The event included lively discussions with approximately 30 members of mutual aid groups, academics, voluntary sector, and practicioners. Our survey evaluating the impact of the event showed a mutual aid organizer provided considered the advice provided "very useful" and intends to discuss it within mutual aid group. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sustaining-mutual-aid-and-community-support-groups-covid-19-and-beyon... |
| Description | Covid-10, Brexit and the Debate on Scottish Independence - Panel Discussion hosted by the Institute of European Studies, University of California Berkeley |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Discussion involving Fergus Neville. Summary: The health, social and economic impacts of Covid continue to be felt across the world. Scotland's death rates were in line with the rest of the UK, making it one of the most badly affected countries in Europe. What can we learn from the impacts of the Covid in Scotland? What public policy lessons can we draw? And what political issues are now raised as we approach Scottish Parliament elections in May 2021? The management of Covid in Scotland has been a test of devolution within the UK. Advocates of the Union emphasize the resources which being part of the UK has given Scotland during the pandemic and its aftermath. Supporters of independence argue that more would be possible. Meantime the implications of Brexit are beginning to become clearer. In this seminar, a panel of commentators and public policy experts consider what next for Scotland. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVmu_bd64v8 |
| Description | Crowds and COVID: Tackling the pandemic by harnessing group processes - TEDx talk hosted by the University of St Andrews |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Talk given by Fergus Neville. Summary: An effective response to COVID-19 requires the public to act collectively and for the common good. This is crucial for adherence to preventative measures, which, especially for low-risk groups, is as much about protecting others as protecting oneself. It is important in terms of volunteering and mutual aid, which is critical to complement the official response by supporting and sustaining people through the pandemic. It is also important in terms of maintaining social cohesion and avoiding social disorder. This talk will discuss how social identity processes can be used to facilitate a collective response to the pandemic. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Gk8MM9LCjg |
| Description | Keynote presentation in 8th Health Challenge Thailand conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Keynote presentation for the 8th Health Challenge Thailand conference endorsed by the Office of Educational Affairs, Royal Thai Embassy, London and Office of Science and Technology, Royal Thai Embassy in Brussels. Audience included public health and medical professionals and students. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Police Academy in Szczytno, Poland. Prof. Stott delivered an invited presentation to an International Scientific Conference "New trends in crime as a result of COVID-19: Normative and criminological perspectives |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A conference to explore the impact of COVID-19 on the implementation of law enforcement and justice, defining and characterising new areas and trends of crime. The conference aimed to provide an opportunity for knowledge exchange, more specifically experiences and good practice on the challenges faced by law enforcement agencies across the world. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Presenation to and debate with National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA) members |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Presenation to and debate with National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA) members who provide local infrastructure support to local charities and voluntary groups across the UK |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/research-on-sustaining-mutual-aid-and-other-voluntary-groups-tickets-... |
| Description | Presentation as part ot Covid-19 and mutual aid workshop held by Newcastle University |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Presentation as part ot Covid-19 and mutual aid workshop held by Newcastle University. Audience included mostly academics from various fields. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/covid-19-mutual-aid-community-and-inequality-tickets-169819678229# |
| Description | Presentation at Birkbeck University of London's Criminology Seminar Series (title of talk: Policing COVID-19: Theory, Policy & Practice) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | In line with the School of Law, Birkbeck's research and teaching ethos, the Criminology Seminar Series aims to provide a platform for critical and interdisciplinary research, showcasing prominent and path-breaking research on crime, criminal justice and related themes by scholars from within and beyond Birkbeck. Approximately 100 people attended the hour long session within which Prof. Cliff Stott delivered a presentation on our work and findings followed by questions from the audience. Abstract for presentation: In this presentation I will explore how a programme of research and theory on the social psychological dynamics of riots and policing has interfaced with policing policy and practice in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. The presentation will begin by discussing the objectives of the research process itself and how a framework of Participant Action Research shifts research priorities toward knowledge co-production in the face of complex challenges and environments. I will then go on to discuss how this research ethos has interfaced with the Scientific Advisory Group in Emergencies (SAGE) to enable research led reflections during the pandemic on key policing challenges and approaches, particularly with regards to issues of compliance and police enforcement. I will conclude by exploring two cases studies of policing practice emerging from our research and highlight how these relate to our ongoing work on understanding the dynamics of police legitimacy. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | http://www.bbk.ac.uk/events/remote_event_view?id=15953 |
| Description | Presentation to ESRC/GSR Actionable Insights Seminar Series |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Presentation (including debate) to ESRC/GSR Actionable Insights Seminar Series: Living with COVID - Behaviour, Attitudes and Social Distancing to provide 'actionable insights' - insights which build on research findings to focus on opportunities for learning and action. There were over 380 attendess, including members of ministerial departments (44%), agency and public bodies (36%), non-ministerial department (13%), and devolved administrations (6%). A couple of the attendees have noted their interest in further discussions, and further information was requested. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Presentation to Public Health England, Behavioural Science and Insights Unit |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | About 80 members of the Public Health England (PHE) Behavioural Insights (PHEBI) team (primarily health practitioners, civil servants, and behavioural scientists) attended a presentation by John Drury on sustaining the activities of mutual aid and community support groups. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Presentation to Society of Infectious Diseases, The University of Edinburgh |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Presentation to academics and students, Society of Infectious Diseases, The University of Edinburgh. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Project website |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Research website for information on our activities, engagements and impacts. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.sussex.ac.uk/research/projects/groups-and-covid/ |
| Description | Roundtable "Mutual aid and the community response to COVID-19: What happens next?" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Discussing involving Maria Fernandes-Jesus. Mutual aid groups developed and mobilised in communities across the UK and globally at the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic in order to support vulnerable community members with practical assistance, emotional support, and advice, with some understanding their work in political terms. This online roundtable discussion drawn together academic researchers and people working in Covid-19 mutual aid to discuss the potential social and political impacts of these groups. Approximately 30 people attended the discussion. This event took place during the Festival of Research, organised by Kingston University London. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.kingston.ac.uk/events/item/3794/01-apr-2021-mutual-aid-and-the-community-response-to-cov... |