Relationship of beliefs about the danger of COVID-19, personality traits and social networks

Ličnost i socijalne mreže imaju važnu ulogu u subjektivnoj dobrobiti pojedinca, a s obzirom na novonastalu pandemiju COVID-19, odlučili smo se ispitati odnos vjerovanja o opasnosti COVID-19, osobina ličnosti i socijalnih mreža. Ovo je prvo istraživanje koje ispituje taj odnos te prvo istraživanje koje ispituje razliku u vjerovanjima o opasnosti COVID-19 između pojedinca i njegove socijalne mreže. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 95 studenata studija psihologije Filozofskog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Zagrebu. Instrument korišten u istraživanju sastojao se od kratkog upitnika o sociodemografskim podacima, Skale vjerovanja o opasnosti COVID-19, BFI-10 upitnika ličnosti te upitnika o socijalnoj mreži sudionika, u kojem su sudionici trebali navesti izvore vjerovanja o COVID-19 u unaprijed definiranim društvenim kategorijama, procijeniti vjerovanje navedenih izvora o COVID-19 te učestalost kontakta s izvorima. Nije utvrđena statistički značajna povezanost osobina ličnosti i vjerovanja o opasnosti COVID-19. Nadalje, nije utvrđena statistički značajna povezanost osobina ličnosti i veličine socijalne mreže te razlike u vjerovanjima o opasnosti COVID-19 pojedinca i njegove socijalne mreže. Također, nije utvrđena statistički značajna povezanost učestalosti kontakta s ekstraverzijom, ugodnosti, savjesnosti i neuroticizmom, no utvrđena je statistički značajna povezanost učestalosti kontakta i otvorenosti, pri čemu su otvoreniji sudionici rjeđe u kontaktu s članovima svoje socijalne mreže.Personality and social networks play an important role in a person’s subjective well-being, and given the emerging COVID-19 pandemic, we decided to examine the relationship of beliefs about the danger of COVID-19, personality traits and social networks This is the first study examining this relationship and the first research examining the difference in beliefs about the danger od COVID-19 between the individual and its social network. The study participants were 95 psychology students from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb. The instrument used in the study consisted of a short questionnaire on sociodemographic data, the Befiefs about the danger of COVID-19 Scale, the BFI-10 personality questionnaire and participants social network questionnaire. In the latter participants had to list sources of their COVID-19 beliefs within predefined social categories, assess the COVID-19 beliefs of the listed sources and the frequency of contact with those sources. No statistically significant correlations were found between personality traits and beliefs about the danger of COVID-19. Furthermore, no statistically significant correlations were found between personality traits and the size of the social network, neither between personality traits and difference in beliefs about the danger of COVID-19 between the individual and its social network. Also, no statistically significant correlations were found for frequency of contact with extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness and neuroticism, but a statistically significant correlation was found between the frequency of contact and openness, where more open participants are less likely to be in contact with members of their social network