Changing collective behaviour and supporting non-pharmaceutical interventions is an important component in mitigating virus transmission during a pandemic. In a large international collaboration (Study 1,N = 49,968 across 67 countries), we investigated self-reported factors associated with public health behaviours (e.g., spatial distancing and stricter hygiene) and endorsed public policy interventions (e.g., closing bars and restaurants) during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic (April-May 2020). Respondents who reported identifying more strongly with their nation consistently reported greater engagement in public health behaviours and support for public health policies. Results were similar for representative and non-representative national samples. Study 2 (N = 42 countries) conceptually replicated the central finding using aggregate indices of national identity (obtained using the World Values Survey) and a measure of actual behaviour change during the pandemic (obtained from Google mobility reports). Higher levels of national identification prior to the pandemic predicted lower mobility during the early stage of the pandemic (r = −0.40). We discuss the potential implications of links between national identity, leadership, and public health for managing COVID-19 and future pandemics.

This quantitative review systematically integrates the antecedents and outcomes of psychological ownership (PO) and examines its incremental validity and explanatory power compared with two other forms of workplace attachment (i.e., organizational commitment and organizational identification). Across 141 studies published over 20 years, our meta-analysis shows that apart from the factors related to the three traditional categories of PO antecedents (i.e., control, knowing, and investment), safety (e.g., organizational justice, trust, perceived organizational support, and relational closeness) is an emerging antecedent leading to PO. In addition, we find that PO is related not only to employees’ attitudinal and performance outcomes but also to some dark-side outcomes (e.g., territorial behaviors). Furthermore, after applying two advanced methods, that is, two-stage meta-analytic structural equation modeling and dominance analysis, to the analysis of 294 studies (including 291 primary studies and three published meta-analyses), the results reveal that PO has an incremental validity above that of organizational commitment and organizational identification in predicting employees’ in-role performance and organizational citizenship behaviors. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.