Abstract

COVID-19 challenged nations’ leadership to engage their publics in protective strategies. In Denmark, a highly individualistic society that was able to constrain harms during the pandemic, the language of interconnectedness appeared to become a blueprint for government communication. This study explored the structure of public appeals made by the national leadership to appeal for broad participation in COVID-19-protective measures. We inductively and deductively analyzed all twenty-three government transcripts of COVID-19 press conferences from March 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021. We coded values-based appeals using the original Moral Foundations Theory framework, which includes five moral domains (care/harm, loyalty/betrayal, sanctity/degradation, fairness/cheating, authority/subversion), and distinct values combinations. The moral foundations values most frequently invoked: care (protecting Denmark and those most vulnerable to COVID-19); Loyalty (felt-obligation to the whole); and Degradation (risk of contagion). Least frequent were unfairness (unjust actions) and betrayal (actively disserving the greater good). These values were also seen in specific combinations to create appeals beyond single domains, which may help messages resonate across the ideological spectrum. Examples of combined values appeals messaging about Danish identity built around loyalty and care, as captured in the word samfundssind. Potential implications for encouraging participation in achieving public health and collective benefit within highly individualistic countries will be explored.