Helping Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Prosocial behavior is a well-studied phenomenon in the field of social psychology. A large body of research examines conditions under which people help—or fail to help. However, not only has most of the previous research on prosocial behavior been focused on individual-level competencies or traits, thereby failing to fully take into account the social context, but it’s also the case that “the majority of studies that examine predictors of prosocial behavior have been conducted during non-emergency situations” (Haller et al., 2022). We know that prosocial behavior is important—and necessary—in societies. And, as Hellmann et al. (2021) note, the importance of prosocial behavior “increases even further in times of crisis when a society is faced with major social, economic, and political challenges that require people to stick together and cooperate.”

During the Fall 2020 semester, when—because of COVID-19—all of my classes were fully online, I posed the following discussion forum questions to students in my Sociology of Community class:

During this global pandemic, what does helpfulness look like? Have you observed—whether directly or indirectly—people helping others in some fashion? What form(s) does helping take in this context?

These questions were posed during the section on rural and urban differences in helping behavior. Although the students in this class do not constitute a random sample from which we can generalize, it is the case that many of their responses are consistent with findings from recent research studies.

Presenting the Data

The following is a brief sampling of responses from my students regarding what they saw as constituting helping behavior during the pandemic:

• To me, helpfulness ... looks like providing masks and hand sanitizer to make people who do go out to feel more safe, and to take responsibility to quarantine properly and take the right precautions when exposed to the virus, for everyone’s safety.
• I think that helping people looks like following guidelines. I think the best thing we can do to help people is wearing our masks, social distancing, not buying huge quantities of things.
• I think helping right now is wearing a mask while out in public, maintaining a safe distance from others, and limiting travel when we can.
• The most basic way to provide helpfulness would be wearing a mask. Even if it is uncomfortable, it still helps the people around us and the strangers we come into contact with to be healthier. It seems like most of these things that are considered helpfulness, are really just basic human decency. We should want to wear a mask if it can keep someone else from getting sick.

Clearly, a recurring theme here is the importance of following public health guidelines. These comments are consistent with research conducted by Hellmann and colleagues (2021), who noted that “[a]lthough it appeared paradoxical at first, we learned that keeping physical distance (and your child home from school or childcare) is an act of prosocial behavior.” Similarly, Haller et al. (2022) highlighted the “rapid surge of millions of people across the globe practicing scientifically recommended hygiene measures and self-isolating.”

Researchers also state that more “familiar forms of prosocial behavior” were evidenced, such as “providing direct support to others that are infected or struggle with financial or psychological problems as a result of the crisis” (Hellmann et al., 2021). My students echoed this as well:

• During this pandemic helpfulness to me looks like donating money to those [in] need ... people also help by volunteering to shelters/food banks or even helping deliver groceries.
• I’ve observed helpfulness in many ways, such as grocery stores having specific hours of operation for senior citizens and older/vulnerable adults so they have the opportunity to shop without having to be in large crowds of people.

This focus on protecting those who are especially vulnerable is admirable and uplifting.

Helping has also manifested in unexpected and creative ways. For example, Haller et al. (2022) commented on “musicians performing concerts from their balconies for the common good” as well as people “applauding from their windows to express gratitude to frontline and healthcare workers.” One of my students commented on people sewing masks for others and giving them away. This student also stated: “Even simple things like writing a motivational saying with chalk on sidewalks can be helpful for people to see and brings warmth to our crazy situation.”

Alarming Acts

While there is both anecdotal and research-based evidence of helping behaviors during the pandemic, it is also the case that troubling behaviors that are in direct opposition to prosocial behavior have occurred, such as noncompliance with public health measures, overbuying/stockpiling products, and overt racism and hate crimes against Asian people (Haller et al., 2022). Remarkably, “race-related violence and hate crimes against Asian Americans and Asian-looking people ... increased by 339%.” These horrendous acts should not be viewed in a vacuum—tragically, there is a long history of anti-Asian violence in the United States (see this recent report by the Pew Research Center, 2023).

Challenges in “Helping” During the Pandemic

Necessary restrictions put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic made altruistic outreach much more difficult. As Haller et al. (2022) observed, the pandemic “presented an emergency situation in which different helping behaviors were difficult to accomplish.” The variety of ways people engaged in helping behaviors could be viewed as a manifestation of their “desperate attempts to reengage in the social process as a frustrated giver” (Jankofsky & Stuecher, 1984).

Coronavirus Disease 2019 Essential Reads

Update on COVID-19 and How It Changes the Brain

How Political Partisanship Can Be Deadly

Sociologist Talcott Parsons’ concept of “the sick role” is clearly relevant in this context. When a person occupies the sick role, they are exempted from normally expected tasks, but are also obligated to do what is needed in an effort to restore their health. Jankofsky and Stuecher (1984) asserted that occupying the sick role “takes away a central motivational force in life—the opportunity for altruistic behavior.” The sociological concept of the sick role highlights that being sick goes beyond the obvious biological aspects; one’s social role and subjective feelings are also affected.

In Sum ...

Over the course of the pandemic, many references have been made to Albert Camus’ The Plague. Forty years ago, scholars Klaus Jankofsky and Uwe Stuecher (1984) stated the following about this novel: “In the never-ending struggle against the plague … the only salvation … is vigilance, honesty, active solidarity with the victims, and human tenderness.” Such sentiments represent hopeful signs during dire times.

The reflections from my students, combined with recent research on prosocial behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic, provide evidence of helping behaviors during this challenging time, and also highlight that it may more often be the seemingly small gestures—not the grandiose ones—that are most central in our day-to-day lives. We have seen, during the pandemic, many examples of modest gestures filled with meaning and significance. The numerous cliches about the positive impact of small acts of kindness might very well be worthwhile to reflect on and to let guide our behavior. In the words of one of my students from that Fall 2020 Sociology of Community class: “Lending someone a helping hand doesn’t always have to be a big gesture; it can just be a friendly smile or asking, 'How can I help you?'”