biostudies-literatureVan Bavel JJAustrian Science Fund FWFVetenskapsrådet (Swedish Research Council)Ministarstvo Prosvete, Nauke i Tehnološkog Razvoja (Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia)Narodowe Centrum Nauki (National Science Centre)John Templeton Foundation (JTF)Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation)Gouvernement du Canada | Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines du Canada)Medical Research CouncilAgentúra na Podporu Výskumu a Vývoja (Slovak Research and Development Agency)Aarhus Universitets Forskningsfond (Aarhus University Research Foundation)Agence Nationale de la Recherche (French National Research Agency)Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research CouncilNational Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China)Carlsbergfondet (Carlsberg Foundation)517https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC8792004biostudies-literatureUnknown13(1)Changing collective behaviour and supporting non-pharmaceutical interventions is an important component in mitigating virus transmission during a pandemic. In a large international collaboration (Study 1, N = 49,968 across 67 countries), we investigated self-reported factors associated with public health behaviours (e.g., spatial distancing and stricter hygiene) and endorsed public policy interventions (e.g., closing bars and restaurants) during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic (April-May 2020). Respondents who reported identifying more strongly with their nation consistently reported greater engagement in public health behaviours and support for public health policies. Results were similar for representative and non-representative national samples. Study 2 (N = 42 countries) conceNature communicationsNational identity predicts public health support during a global pandemic.PMC8792004AUFF-E-201 9-9-4BB/R010668/1CF20-0044130760BB/R010668/27197206571602163APVV-17-05962820761378ANR-17-EURE-00102018/29/B/HS6/02826MR/P014097/1ANR-10-IDEX-0001-02 PSL2015/19/B/HS6/01253SSHRC-506547ANR-17-EURE-0017435-2012-11352018-0087747010EXC 2052/1 - 390713894I3381Griffin SMGarcia-Navarro EBSkali ALin MJStadelmann DFenwick ARoss RMStafford CAJasko KAlfano MChalise HNBoncinelli LCutler JFranc RSaikkonen TJangard SSundvall JDhaliwal NAMitkidis PAruta JJBRiano-Moreno JCNitschke JPCarvalho CFHuynh TLDAbts KStoica ALevy JKutiyski YImran MAVerkoeijen PYamada YLevy NMaglic MMansoor MSDezecache GBesharati SNAy FCMiklousic ICordoba-Delgado MAMinda JPvan Prooijen JWWetter ECunningham WAHerzon VYilmaz OTorgler BMazepus HDenkovski OMayiwar LCypryanska MDulleck UDelouvee SWojcik ADGray KMcCashin DSalvador-Ginez OTinghog GDi Paolo RMetcalf ALCrabtree CDElbaek CTPerander SFlichtentrei Dvan Rooy DBarbosa SDangol AKThomas JPStanojevic DHudecek MFCGronfeldt BFidanovski KKubin ECameron CDLaguna OFraser SMoreau DIbanez AAdler EMolina-Paredes JPuthillam ASharma PGelfand MJLi CCerami CAgadullina ESchonegger PDe KSharma MLockwood PLVan Lange PAMBastian BLong EUUysal MSVlasceanu MSavage DKantorowicz-Reznichenko ESternisko AOlsson AVieira JBStoyanova KKVastfjall DTsakiris MTraast IJBilancini EScott AGualda EJorgensen FJSantiago-Tovar NPalomaki JVanags ECian LOnderco MUmbres RGPyrkosz-Pacyna JLaakasuo MVan Bavel JJMonroy-Fonseca CZiemer CTCrouzevialle MParnamets PWohl MJAEkmanis JZhang YSampaio WMHarris EKrouwel AIsler OPayan-Gomez CChoma BLSchmid PCBogatyreva NLongoni CCichocka AScheffer JAConway JBialek MStrickland BPetersen MBRathje SKachanoff FTewari SCislak ABernal-Zarate MPDayley PNCapraro Vvon Sikorski CO'Madagain CSanti GCWalker ACParuzel-Czachura MRaza AAbad MTyrala MBuchel OAntazo BGBa MHMuda RIsraelashvili JNash KEtienne TWFrempong RBKeudel ONezlek JBBernstein MLermer EHruska MFugelsang JAMarie ALeota JNurse MSGarladinne PCheng XBor ADiato ABRego GGPacker DJGruber JMorales-Marente EMiura ABirtel MDPavlovic ZMyer AKantorowicz JGumren MGjoneska BOtterbring TFarmer HYucel MApps MWhillans ACeladin TRobertson CEWu KRothmund TPrasad RHuang GAkrawi NCrespi CStefaniak APalacios-Galvez MSRodriguez-Pascual ILeygue CGkinopoulos TPavlovic TBerg AGurung RLTucciarelli ROldemburgo de Mello VKahn JTung HHAmara HErtan ASTodosijevic BDrosinou MBorau SKoverola MEjaz WSantamaria-Garcia HDaniels MASjastad HCockcroft KOhtsubo YPapp ZYogeeswaran KWillardt RDabrowska JGhajjou OSchultner DTKunnari AFarhana HHAzevedo FKoppel LBooth JEFlew TMdarhri HAZwaan RALamm CFarkhari FNesh-Nash TPan YMcHugh CDavis VHGale JWatermeyer JPerry AStoyanov DAmodio DMHalperin EHoriuchi YUngson NDBoggio PSFindor ARhee KVonasch APitman MMEl Mimouni SSchutte EMfalseNational identity predicts public health support during a global pandemic.Changing collective behaviour and supporting non-pharmaceutical interventions is an important component in mitigating virus transmission during a pandemic. In a large international collaboration (Study 1, N = 49,968 across 67 countries), we investigated self-reported factors associated with public health behaviours (e.g., spatial distancing and stricter hygiene) and endorsed public policy interventions (e.g., closing bars and restaurants) during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic (April-May 2020). Respondents who reported identifying more strongly with their nation consistently reported greater engagement in public health behaviours and support for public health policies. Results were similar for representative and non-representative national samples. Study 2 (N = 42 countries) conce2022-01-01T00:00:00Z2022 Jan2025-04-05T13:07:14.021Z2025-04-05T13:07:14.021ZS-EPMC87920043508227710.1038/s41467-021-27668-9