PLoS ONE (Jan 2021)

Politicization of COVID-19 health-protective behaviors in the United States: Longitudinal and cross-national evidence.

  • Wolfgang Stroebe,
  • Michelle R vanDellen,
  • Georgios Abakoumkin,
  • Edward P Lemay,
  • William M Schiavone,
  • Maximilian Agostini,
  • Jocelyn J Bélanger,
  • Ben Gützkow,
  • Jannis Kreienkamp,
  • Anne Margit Reitsema,
  • Jamilah Hanum Abdul Khaiyom,
  • Vjolica Ahmedi,
  • Handan Akkas,
  • Carlos A Almenara,
  • Mohsin Atta,
  • Sabahat Cigdem Bagci,
  • Sima Basel,
  • Edona Berisha Kida,
  • Allan B I Bernardo,
  • Nicholas R Buttrick,
  • Phatthanakit Chobthamkit,
  • Hoon-Seok Choi,
  • Mioara Cristea,
  • Sára Csaba,
  • Kaja Damnjanović,
  • Ivan Danyliuk,
  • Arobindu Dash,
  • Daniela Di Santo,
  • Karen M Douglas,
  • Violeta Enea,
  • Daiane Gracieli Faller,
  • Gavan Fitzsimons,
  • Alexandra Gheorghiu,
  • Ángel Gómez,
  • Ali Hamaidia,
  • Qing Han,
  • Mai Helmy,
  • Joevarian Hudiyana,
  • Bertus F Jeronimus,
  • Ding-Yu Jiang,
  • Veljko Jovanović,
  • Željka Kamenov,
  • Anna Kende,
  • Shian-Ling Keng,
  • Tra Thi Thanh Kieu,
  • Yasin Koc,
  • Kamila Kovyazina,
  • Inna Kozytska,
  • Joshua Krause,
  • Arie W Kruglanksi,
  • Anton Kurapov,
  • Maja Kutlaca,
  • Nóra Anna Lantos,
  • Cokorda Bagus Jaya Lemsmana,
  • Winnifred R Louis,
  • Adrian Lueders,
  • Najma Iqbal Malik,
  • Anton Martinez,
  • Kira O McCabe,
  • Jasmina Mehulić,
  • Mirra Noor Milla,
  • Idris Mohammed,
  • Erica Molinario,
  • Manuel Moyano,
  • Hayat Muhammad,
  • Silvana Mula,
  • Hamdi Muluk,
  • Solomiia Myroniuk,
  • Reza Najafi,
  • Claudia F Nisa,
  • Boglárka Nyúl,
  • Paul A O'Keefe,
  • Jose Javier Olivas Osuna,
  • Evgeny N Osin,
  • Joonha Park,
  • Gennaro Pica,
  • Antonio Pierro,
  • Jonas Rees,
  • Elena Resta,
  • Marika Rullo,
  • Michelle K Ryan,
  • Adil Samekin,
  • Pekka Santtila,
  • Edyta Sasin,
  • Birga M Schumpe,
  • Heyla A Selim,
  • Michael Vicente Stanton,
  • Samiah Sultana,
  • Robbie M Sutton,
  • Eleftheria Tseliou,
  • Akira Utsugi,
  • Jolien Anne van Breen,
  • Caspar J Van Lissa,
  • Kees Van Veen,
  • Alexandra Vázquez,
  • Robin Wollast,
  • Victoria Wai-Lan Yeung,
  • Somayeh Zand,
  • Iris Lav Žeželj,
  • Bang Zheng,
  • Andreas Zick,
  • Claudia Zúñiga,
  • N Pontus Leander

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256740
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 10
p. e0256740

Abstract

Read online

During the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. conservative politicians and the media downplayed the risk of both contracting COVID-19 and the effectiveness of recommended health behaviors. Health behavior theories suggest perceived vulnerability to a health threat and perceived effectiveness of recommended health-protective behaviors determine motivation to follow recommendations. Accordingly, we predicted that-as a result of politicization of the pandemic-politically conservative Americans would be less likely to enact recommended health-protective behaviors. In two longitudinal studies of U.S. residents, political conservatism was inversely associated with perceived health risk and adoption of health-protective behaviors over time. The effects of political orientation on health-protective behaviors were mediated by perceived risk of infection, perceived severity of infection, and perceived effectiveness of the health-protective behaviors. In a global cross-national analysis, effects were stronger in the U.S. (N = 10,923) than in an international sample (total N = 51,986), highlighting the increased and overt politicization of health behaviors in the U.S.