Exploring the Relevance of Low Self-Control for Understanding Attitudes and Behaviors during the COVID-19 Pandemic

• In Event: Social Control in the Age of Covid-19

Abstract

Between the implementation of protective behaviors, statewide shutdowns, and restrictions on businesses and gatherings in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, people were forced to alter certain aspects of their daily routines in substantive ways while also being encouraged (but not forced) to alter other aspects of their lifestyles. Moving past introductory research examining the variability of protective behaviors and how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted crime in the United States, this study examines if individuals’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic were related to their criminal involvement and victimization experiences, and whether all three are linked to low self-control. Using original survey data collected for a stratified random sample of 1,000 US adult residents across all 50 states, we examined whether non-vaccinated individuals who did not wear masks in public when given the option and did not alter their lifestyles in response to the COVID-19 pandemic were more likely to engage in criminal activity and more likely to have been victims of crime during this period, with low self-control ultimately shaping these empirical relationships.

Authors

• Michelle E. Protas, University of Cincinnati

• John Wooldredge, University of Cincinnati