New research helps to explain the association between political conservatism and riskier pandemic lifestyles. According to new research published in Discover Social Science and Health, political conservatives tend to be less empathetic, hold more authoritarian beliefs, and feel less threatened by the pandemic, which in turn is associated with reduced adherence to COVID-19 health recommendations.
“Although we have seen a lot of evidence showing that political conservatism is associated with lower rates of social distancing, mask usage, sanitizing, and vaccination, I wanted to better understand why political conservatism is so consistently associated with riskier pandemic lifestyles,” said study author Terrence D. Hill, a sociology professor at The University of Texas at San Antonio.
