Potential Changes in Ties With People All Over the World During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Quantitative and Qualitative Analyses of Polish Adults

The COVID-19 pandemic can be seen as a crisis affecting all humanity. It posed a collective threat, potentially strengthening ties with people all over the world through a feeling of interconnectedness and a common human fate. On the other hand, a sense of physical and psychological threat, competition for scarce resources, and closed national borders may have hindered such ties, worsened the perceptions of people all over the world, and focused individuals on their national and local communities. Thus, the present research aimed to explore the potential changes in ties with people all over the world during the first year of the pandemic in a quantitative (Study 1; Polish national sample, N = 762; longitudinal design) and a qualitative way (Study 2; N = 33 of Poles, narrative interviews). A mixed-methods approach (explanatory sequential design) was employed to gain deeper insights into the diverse perspectives of individuals regarding ties with people all over the world. Study 1 showed no changes in identification with all humanity between March, May/June, and December 2020. A sense of COVID-19 threat or any demographic factors did not affect this finding. Study 2 revealed a more nuanced picture with a variety of individual perspectives on the world and its inhabitants during the pandemic. Some interviewees perceived the world as small but unifying all humans, with the pandemic increasing their interest and compassion for people from other countries. On the other hand, other participants perceived this “small world” as threatening and preferred their own close-knit communities. The analyses from Study 1, and the preparation of this paper were supported by OPUS Grant No. 2021/41/B/HS6/02526 from the Polish National Science Centre (Narodowe Centrum Nauki) awarded to Katarzyna Hamer. Qualitative interviews for Study 2, their analyses, and the preparation of this paper were supported by OPUS-19 grant No. 2020/37/B/HS6/02957 from the Polish National Science Centre (Narodowe Centrum Nauki) awarded to Krzysztof Kaniasty. reviewed acceptedVersion