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

• Main Authors: Stroebe, Wolfgang, vanDellen, Michelle R, Abakoumkin, Georgios, Lemay Jr., Edward P, Schiavone, Wlliam M., Agostini, Maximilian, Belanger, Jocelyn J, Gutzkow, Ben, Kreienkamp, Jannis, Reitsema, Anne Margit, Abdul Khaiyom, Jamilah Hanum, PsyCorona, Collaboration, Leander, N Pontus
• Format: Article
• Language: English; English
• Published: Public Library of Science 2021
• Subjects: BF Psychology; BF636 Applied psychology; H Social Sciences (General); JA Political science (General); RA Public aspects of medicine; RA644.C67 Coronavirus infections. COVID-19 (Disease). COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020
• Online Access: http://irep.iium.edu.my/95824/1/95824_Politicization%20of%20COVID-19%20health-protective.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/95824/2/95824_Politicization%20of%20COVID-19%20health-protective_SCOPUS.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/95824/; https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0256740

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 recom-mended 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 interna-tional sample (total N = 51,986), highlighting the increased and overt politicization of health behaviors in the U.S.