Crowding and aggression during the COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom : the relationship between residential density, subjective crowding, privacy, and aggression

Weber, Clara; Gatersleben, Birgitta; Jagannath, Sadhana; Füchslin, Barbara; Costa Delabrida, Zenith Nara

doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102335

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-30805

Publication type:	Article in scientific journal
Type of review:	Peer review (publication)
Title:	Crowding and aggression during the COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom : the relationship between residential density, subjective crowding, privacy, and aggression
Authors:	Weber, Clara Gatersleben, Birgitta Jagannath, Sadhana Füchslin, Barbara Costa Delabrida, Zenith Nara
et. al:	No
DOI:	10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102335 10.21256/zhaw-30805
Published in:	Journal of Environmental Psychology
Volume(Issue):	2024
Issue:	96
Page(s):	102335
Issue Date:	6-May-2024
Publisher / Ed. Institution:	Elsevier
ISSN:	0272-4944
Language:	English
Subjects:	COVID-19; Density; Crowding; Housing; Privacy; Aggression
Subject (DDC):	150: Psychology 302: Social interaction 307: Communities
Abstract:	Background: During national lockdowns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals were confined to their home environment for prolonged time with limited options to leave the dwelling. European comparative housing polls suggest social density in the home environment (square meters per person) are highest in the United Kingdom, making potentially detrimental costs to home dwellers during national lockdowns more likely. While research has extensively studied the relationship between social density and aggression across different settings, including housing, there has been limited exploration of the connection between subjective crowding and aggression, despite evidence suggesting its stronger influence. Moreover, previous studies have indicated that privacy might mediate the link between social density conditions and psychological experiences necessitating further investigation. Objective: This study examined the relationships between residential density, subjective crowding, and perceived privacy and its psychological costs, specifically focusing on aggression during the COVID-19 lockdown. Specifically, the study examined the sequential relationship of residential density on subjective crowding on selfreported aggression. Perceived privacy was hypothesized to mediate the relationship between residential density and subjective crowding. Methods: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted with individuals (n = 299) using the crowd-sourcing platform Prolific during the COVID-19 lockdown in June 2020 in the United Kingdom. Results: Path analysis with bootstrapping was used to examine the hypothesized relationships in three hierarchical models. The first model showed that self-reported aggression levels were higher for those experiencing greater levels of residential density. In the second model, residential density was found to be associated with subjective crowding, which in turn was associated with aggression. The association between subjective crowding and aggression (model two) was stronger than between residential density and aggression (model one). In the final model, perceived privacy was included as a mediator between residential density and subjective crowding, and this relationship was found to be statistically valid. This suggests that when there is a shortage of objective living space per person within a household, it can affect how residents perceive their ability to control privacy, resulting in feelings of crowding and subsequent aggression. Age, gender, and employment were controlled. Conclusions: The empirical evidence for testing the sequential relationship between residential density, perceived privacy, subjective crowding, and aggression has so far been largely neglected in housing research. Recognizing the influence of privacy regulation on aggression is essential for guiding housing design and planning, shifting the focus away from overreliance on housing size specifications towards prioritizing the quality of floor plan design to better promote residents’ well-being.
URI:	https://digitalcollection.zhaw.ch/handle/11475/30805
Fulltext version:	Published version
License (according to publishing contract):	CC BY 4.0: Attribution 4.0 International
Departement:	Applied Psychology Life Sciences and Facility Management
Organisational Unit:	Institute of Facility Management (IFM)
Published as part of the ZHAW project:	Wohnverhältnisse, Privatsphäre und Aggression während des Covid-19 Lockdown im Vereinigten Königreich
Appears in collections:	Publikationen Life Sciences und Facility Management

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Weber, C., Gatersleben, B., Jagannath, S., Füchslin, B., & Costa Delabrida, Z. N. (2024). Crowding and aggression during the COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom : the relationship between residential density, subjective crowding, privacy, and aggression. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 2024(96), 102335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102335

Weber, C. et al. (2024) ‘Crowding and aggression during the COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom : the relationship between residential density, subjective crowding, privacy, and aggression’, Journal of Environmental Psychology, 2024(96), p. 102335. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102335.

C. Weber, B. Gatersleben, S. Jagannath, B. Füchslin, and Z. N. Costa Delabrida, “Crowding and aggression during the COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom : the relationship between residential density, subjective crowding, privacy, and aggression,” Journal of Environmental Psychology, vol. 2024, no. 96, p. 102335, May 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102335.

WEBER, Clara, Birgitta GATERSLEBEN, Sadhana JAGANNATH, Barbara FÜCHSLIN und Zenith Nara COSTA DELABRIDA, 2024. Crowding and aggression during the COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom : the relationship between residential density, subjective crowding, privacy, and aggression. Journal of Environmental Psychology. 6 Mai 2024. Bd. 2024, Nr. 96, S. 102335. DOI 10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102335

Weber, Clara, Birgitta Gatersleben, Sadhana Jagannath, Barbara Füchslin, and Zenith Nara Costa Delabrida. 2024. “Crowding and Aggression during the COVID-19 Lockdown in the United Kingdom : The Relationship between Residential Density, Subjective Crowding, Privacy, and Aggression.” Journal of Environmental Psychology 2024 (96): 102335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102335.

Weber, Clara, et al. “Crowding and Aggression during the COVID-19 Lockdown in the United Kingdom : The Relationship between Residential Density, Subjective Crowding, Privacy, and Aggression.” Journal of Environmental Psychology, vol. 2024, no. 96, May 2024, p. 102335, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102335.