A darkening spring: How preexisting distrust shaped COVID-19 skepticism
Despite widespread communication of the health risks associated with the COVID-19 virus, many Americans underestimated its risks and were antagonistic regarding preventative measures. Political partisanship has been linked to diverging attitudes towards the virus, but the cognitive processes underly...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2022-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8791533/?tool=EBI |
| _version_ | 1818985834256269312 |
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| author | J. Hunter Priniski Keith J. Holyoak |
| author_facet | J. Hunter Priniski Keith J. Holyoak |
| author_sort | J. Hunter Priniski |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Despite widespread communication of the health risks associated with the COVID-19 virus, many Americans underestimated its risks and were antagonistic regarding preventative measures. Political partisanship has been linked to diverging attitudes towards the virus, but the cognitive processes underlying this divergence remain unclear. Bayesian models fit to data gathered through two preregistered online surveys, administered before (March 13, 2020, N = 850) and during the first wave (April-May, 2020, N = 1610) of cases in the United States, reveal two preexisting forms of distrust––distrust in Democratic politicians and in medical scientists––that drove initial skepticism about the virus. During the first wave of cases, additional factors came into play, suggesting that skeptical attitudes became more deeply embedded within a complex network of auxiliary beliefs. These findings highlight how mechanisms that enhance cognitive coherence can drive anti-science attitudes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T18:41:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e7d478825e7b4857aa79ca42ccd81d2e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T18:41:12Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-e7d478825e7b4857aa79ca42ccd81d2e2022-12-21T19:29:48ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032022-01-01171A darkening spring: How preexisting distrust shaped COVID-19 skepticismJ. Hunter PriniskiKeith J. HolyoakDespite widespread communication of the health risks associated with the COVID-19 virus, many Americans underestimated its risks and were antagonistic regarding preventative measures. Political partisanship has been linked to diverging attitudes towards the virus, but the cognitive processes underlying this divergence remain unclear. Bayesian models fit to data gathered through two preregistered online surveys, administered before (March 13, 2020, N = 850) and during the first wave (April-May, 2020, N = 1610) of cases in the United States, reveal two preexisting forms of distrust––distrust in Democratic politicians and in medical scientists––that drove initial skepticism about the virus. During the first wave of cases, additional factors came into play, suggesting that skeptical attitudes became more deeply embedded within a complex network of auxiliary beliefs. These findings highlight how mechanisms that enhance cognitive coherence can drive anti-science attitudes.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8791533/?tool=EBI |
| spellingShingle | J. Hunter Priniski Keith J. Holyoak A darkening spring: How preexisting distrust shaped COVID-19 skepticism PLoS ONE |
| title | A darkening spring: How preexisting distrust shaped COVID-19 skepticism |
| title_full | A darkening spring: How preexisting distrust shaped COVID-19 skepticism |
| title_fullStr | A darkening spring: How preexisting distrust shaped COVID-19 skepticism |
| title_full_unstemmed | A darkening spring: How preexisting distrust shaped COVID-19 skepticism |
| title_short | A darkening spring: How preexisting distrust shaped COVID-19 skepticism |
| title_sort | darkening spring how preexisting distrust shaped covid 19 skepticism |
| url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8791533/?tool=EBI |
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