The Influence of Disease Avoidance Motive on the Economic Behavior Ethics under the Impact of Pandemic: A Moderated Mediation Model

Objective: As one of the basic social motives, Disease Avoidance Motive is the deep psychological factor behind many social behaviors. Since the emergence of the COVID-19 and its continuous spread across the world at the end of 2019, the ever-changing and recurring COVID-19 pandemic has increased people's fear and rejection of the threat of infectious diseases, and activated people's Disease Avoidance Motive, which has remained at a high level for a long time. This study takes Disease Avoidance Motive as the starting point, introduces COVID Control Regulations as the intermediary, and disease vulnerability as the regulator, to explore the influence of Disease Avoidance Motive on Economic Behavior Ethics. Methods: Regression analysis, SPSS Statistics and Moderated Mediation Model were applied and 524 random respondents were surveyed through Basic Social Motivation Scale, Pandemic Norm Compliance Questionnaire, Economic Behavior Ethics Questionnaire and Scale of Perceived Vulnerability to Disease. Results: (1) Disease Avoidance Motive positively predicts Economic Behavior Ethics; (2) COVID Control Regulations play a mediating role between Disease Avoidance Motive and Economic Behavior Ethics (3) Perceived Vulnerability to Disease positively moderates the direct effect of Disease Avoidance Motive on Economic Behavior Ethics. Conclusion: Under the moderation of Perceived Vulnerability to Disease, Disease Avoidance Motive exerts an influence on the Economic Behavior Ethics through COVID Control Regulations.