Individuals engage in a variety of behavioral responses to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, from complying with or transgressing against physical distancing regulations, to stockpiling or prosocial behavior. We predicted that particularly descriptive social norms are important in driving pandemic-related behavior as they offer guidelines in times of insecurity and crisis. To investigate this assumption, we conducted a longitudinal survey with two measurement points (n = 1,907) in Germany during the spring of 2020. Results show that descriptive norms (perceived behavior of close others) positively predicted future transgression against distancing regulations, stockpiling, and prosocial behavior over time. In our analysis, we account for previous behavior as well as other potential predictors (subjective threat, personality). In sum, our findings highlight the power of descriptive norms in increasing compliance with pandemic-related regulations and promoting future prosocial behavior.

个人采取各种行为反应来应对 COVID-19 大流行，从遵守或违反物理距离规定到囤积或亲社会行为。我们预测，特别描述性的社会规范对于推动与流行病相关的行为很重要，因为它们在不安全和危机时期提供指导。为了调查这个假设，我们使用两个测量点 ( n= 1,907）在 2020 年春季在德国。结果表明，随着时间的推移，描述性规范（亲近他人的感知行为）积极预测未来违反疏远规定、囤积和亲社会行为。在我们的分析中，我们考虑了以前的行为以及其他潜在的预测因素（主观威胁、个性）。总之，我们的研究结果强调了描述性规范在增加对大流行相关法规的遵守和促进未来亲社会行为方面的力量。