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

Authors :
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
Source :
PLoS ONE, Vol 16, Iss 10 (2021)
Publication Year :
2021
Publisher :
Public Library of Science (PLoS), 2021.

Abstract

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.

Subjects

Subjects :
Medicine
Science

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
19326203
Volume :
16
Issue :
10
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
PLoS ONE
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.639a01149b54c56b26ead2d28227100
Document Type :
article