Linking personality to COVID-19 attitudes, concerns and biosafety behaviors: meta-analytic foundations for future pandemic preparedness

Knowledge of behavioral reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic can help manage future reactions and biosafety behaviors, potentially altering the course of future epidemics and pandemics. Personality traits play a role in creating safe environments. We examined the Big Five and Dark Triad personality trait families' associations with biosafety behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic, a period characterized by strong situational pressures. We also examined personality's associations with COVID-19 concerns and attitudes. Associations with biosafety behaviors, including hygiene, social distancing, self-quarantining, avoiding exposures, and preparatory behaviors, were examined in 92 independent samples comprising 973 effect sizes from over 50 countries. Different traits served different functions: conscientiousness and agreeableness predicted prosocial protective behaviors such as social distancing and hygiene, neuroticism was strongly associated with pandemic-related concerns but not behaviors, and extraversion and openness were linked to adaptation to new safety protocols. Dark Triad traits showed negative associations with collective biosafety behaviors but positive associations with preparatory behaviors, a finding consistent with pandemic responses motivated by self-interest rather than collective welfare. Despite strong situational constraints, personality maintained meaningful associations with behavior. Meta-analytic evidence indicates COVID-19 attitudes, concerns, and biosafety behaviors are in part predicted by personality traits, with implications for public health messaging and understanding individual differences in biosafety-critical occupations.