Political ideology predicts preventative behaviors and infections amid COVID-19 in democracies. (September 2022) - Tung, Hans H.
Abstract: Can one's political ideology predict his or her testing positive for COVID-19 and how? The present study leveraged a recent (April–May 2020) survey of 27, 260 individuals across 27 democracies to investigate the associations between political ideology and coronavirus infections. Our individual-level data and mediation analyses allow us to tease out different correlational paths according to which one's political ideology affects his or her infection. We found a more right-leaning attitude to be associated with a higher probability of testing positive both directly and indirectly through conspiracy theory beliefs and physical distancing. Moreover, our cross-national investigation also found that becoming more right-leaning in ideology was associated with a higher level of perceived risk of COVID-19 infection, which made one less likely to test positive. Combined, we provide a more nuanced understanding of the role played by political ideology in the current pandemic, on which the design of a more effective risk communication strategy can be based. Highlights: Evidence for the association between political ideology and testing positive for COVID-19. Effect of political ideology was modulated by risk perception and COVID-related conspiratory thinking. Dataset covers 27, 260 individuals across 28 democracies during April and May 2020.