This research examines three distinct processes that influence Americans’ prosocial responses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Employing a nationally representative sample, participants read either a mock-up news article on COVID-19 with a clear responsibility attribution (n = 496) or one without (n = 513) in a survey embedded experiment. Participants exposed to the responsibility attribution condition engaged in less systematic processing; systematic processing and all emotions mediated the relationship between responsibility attribution and support for government response measures. For donation intention, only systematic processing and the two socially oriented emotions were significant mediators. In essence, responsibility attribution in media coverage can exert powerful influence on public perception in an ongoing crisis.

这项研究考察了在 COVID-19 大流行期间影响美国人亲社会反应的三个不同过程。使用具有全国代表性的样本，参与者阅读有关 COVID-19 的模拟新闻文章，其中有明确的责任归属 ( n = 496) 或没有 ( n= 513) 在一项调查嵌入实验中。暴露于责任归属条件的参与者从事较少系统的处理；系统加工和所有情绪在责任归属和对政府应对措施的支持之间起中介作用。对于捐赠意向，只有系统处理和两种社会导向情绪是显着的中介。从本质上讲，媒体报道中的责任归属可以对持续危机中的公众认知产生强大的影响。