Who hails the unsung heroes? Individual differences in heroizing essential workers during a viral outbreak

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the appellation “hero” rarely was applied to essential workers in nonmedical or nonemergency industries, e.g., grocery clerks, delivery drivers. Such novel usage prompts inquiry into motivations for heroizing: why might some individuals heroize workers during a viral outbreak? The current research considers both economic system justification and perceived vulnerability to disease (comprising perceived infectability and germ aversion) as predictors of motivations to heroize (and reward) essential workers. As a hierarchy-maintaining orientation, economic system justification presumably relegates workers to dirty work (i.e., inhibits heroizing). Perceived vulnerability to disease, conversely, taps into vigilance for disease threats and mitigation and should facilitate heroizing of workers. In Study 1, whereas economic system justification predicted less support for rewards, perceived infectability predicted greater support for rewards for and heroizing of workers during the COVID pandemic. In Study 2, after reading an article about either hospital orderlies or poultry industry workers during an avian flu outbreak, economic system justification predicted less likelihood of heroizing (mirroring Study 1) and less gratitude toward workers. Furthermore, although orderlies' roles were viewed as more protective and enhancing than poultry workers, these differences became more pronounced for high germ aversion participants. • This research examines predictors of heroizing of (non-medical) essential workers. • Study 1 focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic; Study 2 focuses on an avian flu outbreak. • Perceived vulnerability to disease predicts greater heroizing of essential workers. • Economic system justification predicts lower heroizing of essential workers.