The COVID-19 pandemic has had immense impact on people’s lives, potentially leading individuals to reevaluate what they prioritize in life (i.e., their values). We report longitudinal data from Australians 3 years prior to the pandemic, at pandemic onset (April 2020, N = 2,321), and in November–December 2020 (n = 1,442). While all higher order values were stable prior to the pandemic, conservation values, emphasizing order and stability, became more important during the pandemic. In contrast, openness to change values, emphasizing self-direction and stimulation, showed a decrease during the pandemic, which was reversed in late 2020. Self-transcendence values, emphasizing care for close others, society, and nature, decreased by late 2020. These changes were amplified among individuals worrying about the pandemic. The results support psychological theory of values as usually stable, but also an adaptive system that responds to significant changes in environmental conditions. They also test a new mechanism for value change, worry.

COVID-19 大流行对人们的生活产生了巨大影响，可能导致个人重新评估他们在生活中的优先事项（即他们的价值观）。我们报告了大流行前 3 年、大流行开始时（2020 年 4 月，N = 2,321）和 2020 年 11 月至 12 月（n= 1,442）。虽然所有高阶值在大流行之前都是稳定的，但强调秩序和稳定性的保护值在大流行期间变得更加重要。相比之下，强调自我导向和刺激的价值观的开放性在大流行期间有所下降，并在 2020 年末逆转。自我超越价值观，强调对亲密的他人、社会和自然的关怀，在 2020 年末下降。这些变化在担心大流行的个人中被放大了。结果支持心理价值理论通常是稳定的，但也支持对环境条件的重大变化做出反应的适应性系统。他们还测试了一种新的价值变化机制，担心。