Understanding the Effects of Individual and State-Level Factors on American Public Response to COVID-19

Abstract

Purpose: To examine multilevel predictors on American public response to COVID-19. Design: Multilevel study. Setting: A national survey was conducted by Qualtrics from August 24 to September 11, 2020. The state-level variables were constructed on data from multiple sources. Subjects: 2,440 respondents 18 years and older from all 50 states and D.C. Measures: The outcome variable is the public response to COVID-19 measured by threat perception, behavioral adjustment, and policy support. The predictors include individual-level sociodemographic factors and state-level indicators about public health conditions, political context, and economic recovery. Analysis: Multilevel structural equation modeling is used for statistical estimation. Results: People from states with more COVID-19 cases (β = 0.020, p < 0.1), mandatory face mask policies (β = 0.069, p < 0.05), and liberal governments (β = 0.002, p < 0.05) are more likely to respond while people from states whose economies have recovered closer to the pre-pandemic level are less likely to do so (β = −0.005, p < 0.05). Regarding individual-level predictors, older people (β = 0.005, p < 0.001) and people with better education (β = 0.029, p < 0.01), leaning toward the Democrat Party (β = 0.066, p < 0.001) and liberal political ideology (β = 0.094, p < 0.001), and have stronger generalized trust (β = 0.033, p < 0.001) are more likely to respond than their counterparts. Conclusion: Differences in the public response to the pandemic stem from variations in individual characteristics and contextual factors of states where people live. These findings contribute to the rapidly growing literature and have implications for public health policies.

Understanding the influence of political orientation, social network, and economic recovery on COVID-19 vaccine uptake among Americans

“…However, the connection between economic recovery and public understanding of the pandemic is in question. A previous study finds that people from states whose economies recovered closer to the pre-pandemic level in the summer of 2020 became less likely to perceive threats, take precautionary measures, and support mitigation policies than people from states whose economies were far from full recovery [27] . The authors used the back-to-normal index to measure economic recovery that captures a wide range of indicators including the labor market, housing value, investments, consumer behavior, and travel and leisure activity.…”

Individuals’ Use of Religion in Response to the COVID‐19 Pandemic as Complementary to Their Use of Medically Recommended Responses

“… 2021 ; Gonzalez et al. 2021 ; Hao and Shao 2021 ; Perry, Whitehead, and Grubbs 2020 ; Pew Research Center 2020 ; Schnabel and Schieman 2021 ). Religiosity is associated with perceptions of governmental and scientific authority (Chan 2018 ; Payir et al.…”

“… 2021 ; Evans and Hargittai 2020 ; Gonzalez et al. 2021 ; Hao and Shao 2021 ; Perry, Whitehead, and Grubbs 2021 ; Perry, Whitehead, and Grubbs 2020 ; Schnabel and Schieman 2021 ).…”

“…Social scientists and public health officials have understandably tried to identify the key factors shaping individuals' use or nonuse of medically recommended responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as mask wearing or social distancing. One factor that has been suggested is religion (Adler et al 2021;Gonzalez et al 2021;Hao and Shao 2021;Perry, Whitehead, and Grubbs 2020;Pew Research Center 2020;Schnabel and Schieman 2021). Religiosity is associated with perceptions of governmental and scientific authority (Chan 2018;Payir et al 2021;Plohl and Musil 2021;Rutjens, Sutton, and van der Lee 2018;Wisneski, Lytle, and Skitka 2009).…”

“…Nationally representative surveys of U.S. adults fielded in March and June 2020 found that White evangelical Protestants, compared to other religious affiliations, exhibited the lowest prevalence of mask wearing in stores "all or most of the time" (48%), the least concern that the government would "lift the restrictions too quickly" (55%), and the least support for perceiving the following as necessary to mitigate COVID-19: "closing businesses," "canceling major sports and entertainment events," "closing k-12 schools," "asking people to avoid gathering in groups of more than ten," and "carry-out only restaurants" (Pew Research Center 2020). Several studies have identified that U.S. conservative Christians, including evangelical Protestants and Christian nationalists, are less likely to engage in COVID-19 mitigation behaviors (e.g., mask-wearing and social distancing), are more likely to oppose government mandates and restrictions, and are more likely to not trust scientists' understanding of the pandemic (Adler et al 2021;Evans and Hargittai 2020;Gonzalez et al 2021;Hao and Shao 2021;Perry, Whitehead, and Grubbs 2021;Perry, Whitehead, and Grubbs 2020;Schnabel and Schieman 2021).…”