Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

catbyte

(34,174 posts)
Mon Jun 29, 2020, 01:26 PM Jun 2020

Why Are Conservatives Less Concerned About Coronavirus?

Vinita Mehta Ph.D., Ed.M.

Posted Jun 28, 2020

Sadly, even an existential public health crisis like the global pandemic is deeply mired in partisan politics. According to one poll, 35% of conservatives expressed concern about coronavirus, by comparison to 68% of liberals. And only 42% of Republicans feared that they or a family member would be exposed to the virus — but a whopping 73% of Democrats and 64% Independents reported feeling scared.

These polls stand in sharp contrast to research demonstrating that conservatives are actually more sensitive to threats of disease than liberals. Research has established a strong relationship between conservatism and disgust, which is a psychological mechanism that helps us steer clear of things that make us sick. These include bad tastes or foul smells that stop us from ingesting something life threatening or noxious. Remarkably, for example, lab experiments have found that priming people to think about disgusting things and even Covid-19 itself increases social conservatism.

So if conservatives fear getting sick more than liberals, why are they less concerned about coronavirus? This question was the focus of a new study led by Lucian Conway of the University of Montana. More specifically, he and his team wanted to discern whether this was due to experience or politics.

snip

The investigators' findings also suggest that with increasing experiences and impacts of coronavirus, politically ideology matters less in assessing the threat of the virus. This notion is also in keeping with research showing that fear and empathy promote greater compliance with physical distancing over political ideology.

snip

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/head-games/202006/why-are-conservatives-less-concerned-about-coronavirus

2 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Why Are Conservatives Less Concerned About Coronavirus? (Original Post) catbyte Jun 2020 OP
I think it's because Cirque du So-What Jun 2020 #1
For sure! jimfields33 Jun 2020 #2

jimfields33

(15,473 posts)
2. For sure!
Mon Jun 29, 2020, 01:39 PM
Jun 2020

They see the statistics. We know the statistics. I think they couldn’t be more thrilled. Meat packing plants, jails, nursing homes, and cities. Yep they are thrilled. I think it’s blatant and obvious. Media seems to be staying away from saying it though.

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Why Are Conservatives Les...