Religion and reactance to COVID-19 mitigation guidelines.

Abstract

During the current COVID-19 pandemic, religious gatherings have become intense hot spots for the spread of the virus. In this research, we focus on the religiosity of communities to examine whether religiosity helps or hinders adherence to mitigation policies such as shelter-in-place directives. Prior research makes opposing predictions as to the influence of religiosity. One stream predicts greater adherence because of rule-abiding norms and altruistic tendencies while another predicts lower adherence as a reaction against the restriction of personal and religious freedom. We used shelter-in-place directives as an intervention in a quasi-experiment to examine adherence over 30 days as a function of religiosity in the most populous metropolitan areas in the United States. When a shelter-in-place directive had not been imposed, religiosity did not affect people's movements. However, when the directive was imposed, higher religiosity resulted in less adherence to shelter-in-place directives. Public Significance Federal, state, and local governments have raced to implement policies and directives to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the United States. One such important policy has been the issuance of shelter-in-place directives. Our research shows that, across the 53 largest municipal regions in the country, these directives have largely been effective in reducing movement and activities. However, we also find that greater religiosity in a community leads to increased reactance to the policy and decreased adherence. Our findings can inform policy makers that the same directive can elicit less versus more adherence depending on how communities perceive it.

Challenges and Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Asylum Seeker Health at the U.S.-Mexico Border

“…9,29 Most asylum seekers did not believe they were at-risk for COVID-19 disease in the camp, with reasons varying from adherence to public health measures, to special defenses including strong immunity and protection from God. One study found that religiosity correlated to decreased adherence of COVID-19 mitigation guidelines, 30 supporting our findings and suggesting that religious beliefs could play a role in COVID-19 perceptions and education. No other research discussed a belief of protection from COVID-19 due to God, marking a novel finding.…”

The Partisan Mask: Political Orientation, Collectivism, and Religiosity Predict Mask Use During COVID-19

“…Although not as consistent or robust as partisanship or collectivism while controlling for relevant constructs, the results of this study generally parallel recent research findings (DeFranza et al, 2020;Jaja et al, 2020;Perry et al, 2020;Vermeer & Kregting, 2020) as well as anecdotal accounts of defiance among ardent religious bodies (BBC, 2020;Noyes, 2020;Shin, 2020). To the extent that policies are viewed as restricting one's religious freedom, opposition may remain a rampant issue (DeFranza et al, 2020;Jaja et al, 2020). However, it remains necessary to also conduct further research in efforts to better separate religious zealotry from Christian nationalism.…”

“…High prevalence of COVID-19 cases has been linked to the continued provision of in-person religious services in defiance of local or federal policies (Jaja et al, 2020;Noyes, 2020;Shin, 2020;Vermeer & Kregting, 2020). Early evidence also points to greater defiance of shelter-in-place directives among areas with greater W O R K I N G P A P E R S E R I E S religiosity (Jaja et al, 2020) as such policies may be regarded as restricting one's religious freedom to congregate (DeFranza et al, 2020). The relation between religiosity and mask-adherence, however, requires further research.…”

COVID-19 and Religion: Risks and Opportunities

“…This is why a global partnership between Governments, Health Systems and all Religions may support the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, promoting interreligious/interfaith dialogue during these times. Such a dialogue would allow a more concrete support of poor communities and active engagement of minorities in order to limit the spread of the virus (40), since for some religious practitioners the imposition of restrictions, including church closures, may be linked to restrictions to adhere to the preventive measures (41). Religious institutions already played a role to defeat Ebola in west Africa (42).…”