TY - JOUR
T1 - Politicization of COVID-19 health-protective behaviors in the United States
T2 - Longitudinal and cross-national evidence
AU - PsyCorona Collaboration
AU - Stroebe, Wolfgang
AU - vanDellen, Michelle R.
AU - Abakoumkin, Georgios
AU - Lemay, Edward P.
AU - Schiavone, William M.
AU - Agostini, Maximilian
AU - Bélanger, Jocelyn J.
AU - Gützkow, Ben
AU - Kreienkamp, Jannis
AU - Reitsema, Anne Margit
AU - Abdul Khaiyom, Jamilah Hanum
AU - Ahmedi, Vjolica
AU - Akkas, Handan
AU - Almenara, Carlos A.
AU - Atta, Mohsin
AU - Bagci, Sabahat Cigdem
AU - Basel, Sima
AU - Kida, Edona Berisha
AU - Bernardo, Allan B.I.
AU - Buttrick, Nicholas R.
AU - Chobthamkit, Phatthanakit
AU - Choi, Hoon Seok
AU - Cristea, Mioara
AU - Csaba, Sára
AU - Damnjanović, Kaja
AU - Danyliuk, Ivan
AU - Dash, Arobindu
AU - Di Santo, Daniela
AU - Douglas, Karen M.
AU - Enea, Violeta
AU - Faller, Daiane Gracieli
AU - Fitzsimons, Gavan
AU - Gheorghiu, Alexandra
AU - Gómez, Ángel
AU - Hamaidia, Ali
AU - Han, Qing
AU - Jeronimus, Bertus F.
AU - Koc, Yasin
AU - Krause, Joshua
AU - Kutlaca, Maja
AU - Martinez, Anton
AU - McCabe, Kira O.
AU - Myroniuk, Solomiia
AU - Nyúl, Boglárka
AU - Ryan, Michelle K.
AU - Sasin, Edyta
AU - Sultana, Samiah
AU - van Breen, Jolien Anne
AU - van Veen, Kees
AU - Pontus Leander, N.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research received support from the New York University Abu Dhabi (VCDSF/75-71015) to J.N., the University of Groningen (Sustainable Society & Ubbo Emmius Fund) to N.P.L., and the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (COV20/00086) co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF ?A way to make Europe? to M.M. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Public Library of Science. All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/10
Y1 - 2021/10
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85117694703&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0256740
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0256740
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85117694703
SN - 1932-6203
VL - 16
JO - PLoS ONE
JF - PLoS ONE
M1 - e0256740
ER -