Subscribe
The latest psychology and neuroscience discoveries.
My Account
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Cognitive Science
  • Psychopharmacology
No Result
View All Result
PsyPost
PsyPost
No Result
View All Result
Home COVID-19

Lower empathy partially explains why political conservatism is associated with riskier pandemic lifestyles

by Eric W. Dolan
October 6, 2022
in COVID-19, Political Psychology

[Follow PsyPost on LinkedIn to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in psychology and neuroscience]

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

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.

The new findings come from a national probability sample of 1,771 adults living in the United States, who were surveyed between May 10, 2021 and June 1, 2021. Along with providing demographic information, the participants completed assessments of political conservatism, COVID-19 health behaviors, empathic concern, authoritarian beliefs, and perceived pandemic threat.

The researchers asked the participants whether they were Republican and had voted for Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election. The participants also indicated their political orientation on a five-point scale, that ranged from “very liberal” to ”very conservative.” Finally, the participants reported their consumption of right-wing media.

To assess COVID-19 health behaviors, the researchers asked the participants how often during the pandemic they had “attended indoor gatherings with more than 10 people,” “used hand sanitizer to kill germs after being in public places,” and wore “a mask or other face covering in public places.” The participants also reported whether they had been “vaccinated for the coronavirus (COVID-19).”

To measure empathic concern, the researchers asked the participants to indicate the extent to which they agree or disagree with the statements: “I am often concerned about people less fortunate than me,” “I often feel sorry for people when they are having problems in their lives,” and “I often feel protective towards people who are being taken advantage of.”

To measure authoritarian beliefs, the participants reported their level of agreement or disagreement with the statements: “What our country really needs is a tough, harsh dose of law and order,” The government would be justified in using violence to eliminate the troublemakers in this country to get us back on track,” “Our country would be better off with a strong leader who did not have to bother with democracy and elections.”

Finally, the researchers assessed perceived pandemic threat by asking the participants the extent to which they agree or disagree with the statements: “The coronavirus pandemic is a major threat to public health in the United States,” “The coronavirus pandemic is a major threat to your personal health,” “The coronavirus pandemic is a major threat to the economy in the United States,” and “The coronavirus pandemic is a major threat to your personal financial situation.”

Hill and his colleagues found that people who scored higher on the measures of political conservatism tended to have lower empathic concern and perceived the pandemic as less threatening. They also tended to more strongly endorse authoritarian beliefs and were less likely to adhere to COVID-19 health recommendations.

The findings held even after controlling for potentially confounding variables such as age, sex, race/ethnicity, nativity, southern residence, rural residence, education, employment status, household income, financial strain, marital status, the presence of children, and religiosity. Importantly, the researchers also found evidence that empathic concern, authoritarian beliefs, and perceived pandemic threat mediated the relationship between political conservatism and COVID-19 health behaviors.

“Political conservatives tend to engage in riskier pandemic lifestyles, in part, because they are less likely to care about the welfare of others (a motivation for engaging in healthy pandemic lifestyles in the service of public health), more likely to hold authoritarian beliefs (which emphasize the perspectives of one charismatic leader who happens to disagree with public health recommendations), and less likely to perceive the pandemic as threatening to themselves and to the broader society,” Hill told PsyPost.

Interestingly, right-wing media consumption, by itself, was unrelated to COVID-19 health behaviors, empathic concern, and perceived pandemic threat. However, right-wing media consumption was indirectly associated with riskier pandemic lifestyles via heightened authoritarian beliefs.

“Although perceived pandemic threat has been emphasized to explain the risky pandemic lifestyles of political conservatives, processes related to empathy and authoritarian belief systems are also at work,” Hill explained. “We were unable to observe any effects of right-wing media consumption on pandemic beliefs and behavior after political identities were taken into account. This suggests that right-wing media merely echoes the prior political beliefs of viewers.”

But the study, like all research, includes some caveats.

“Our research is correlational and cross-sectional,” Hill explained. “This means that political conservatism is merely associated with lower levels of empathy, higher levels of authoritarian beliefs, lower levels of perceived pandemic threat, and riskier pandemic lifestyles. Our results should not be interpreted to mean that political conservatives are incapable of caring about others, or never support democracy, or always take the pandemic lightly.”

“Our findings should not be interpreted as causal,” Hill added. “The veracity of our analyses is contingent upon replication in future studies. More research is needed to better understand why political conservatives have engaged in unhealthy pandemic lifestyles. It is also important for future research to pay attention to the ways in which political liberals continue to follow expired public health guidance (e.g., requiring masks and vaccines to attend school). How much of the pandemic behavior of political liberals was driven by ‘science’? How much was driven by ‘culture war’?”

The study, “Political ideology and pandemic lifestyles: the indirect effects of empathy, authoritarianism, and threat“, was authored by Terrence D. Hill, Ginny Garcia-Alexander, Andrew P. Davis, Eric T. Bjorklund, Luis A. Vila-Henninger, and William C. Cockerham.

ShareTweetSendScanShareSharePin2Send
Previous Post

Study of adults with ADHD links childhood clumsiness to a higher likelihood of being bullied

Next Post

Machiavellianism is associated with bullshitting, according to new psychology research

STAY CONNECTED

TRENDING

Scientists raise concerns about the potential link between chronic microdosing of psychedelics and valvular heart disease

Anxiously attached individuals have stronger cortisol reactivity when anticipating a conflict with a partner

Study suggests lack of positive feelings during social interactions could help explain isolation in people with suicidality

New psychology research shows how narcissistic tendencies influence perceptions of intellectual humility

Interesting link between self-alienation and death anxiety uncovered by new psychology research

Genetics and concussion – why a minor knock can be devastating for some people

RECENT

New study shines a light on men’s unconscious attraction to fertility cues in women’s faces

Genetics and concussion – why a minor knock can be devastating for some people

Interesting link between self-alienation and death anxiety uncovered by new psychology research

Lifestyle pages on Facebook are a significant contributor to the spread of fake news, study finds

Shy teens with shy best friends might be more prone to depression, study finds

Single-session exposure therapy: A game-changer for phobia treatment?

Scientists raise concerns about the potential link between chronic microdosing of psychedelics and valvular heart disease

Anxiously attached individuals have stronger cortisol reactivity when anticipating a conflict with a partner

Currently Playing

Study identifies factors that influence the link between men’s body esteem and their ability to enjoy their sexuality

Study identifies factors that influence the link between men’s body esteem and their ability to enjoy their sexuality

Study identifies factors that influence the link between men’s body esteem and their ability to enjoy their sexuality

Body Image and Body Dysmorphia
New psychology research shows how narcissistic tendencies influence perceptions of intellectual humility

New psychology research shows how narcissistic tendencies influence perceptions of intellectual humility

Narcissism
Unintended pregnancies take a toll on the mental health of new fathers

Unintended pregnancies take a toll on the mental health of new fathers

Mental Health
New study provides insight into the psychological core of dark personality traits

Four distinct trajectories of psychopathic traits identified among youth in the legal system

Psychopathy
Social working memory abnormalities may be a neurocognitive mechanism underlying poorer social connection in PTSD

Exposure to wood smoke leads to complex and long-lasting neuroinflammatory and neurometabolomic alterations

Mental Health
People who were better supervised by parents as early adolescents tend to have higher earnings as adults

People who were better supervised by parents as early adolescents tend to have higher earnings as adults

Business
  • Cognitive Science
  • COVID-19
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Drug Research
  • Conspiracy Theories
  • Meditation
  • Psychology of Religion
  • Aviation Psychology and Human Factors
  • Relationships and Sexual Health
  • Evolutionary Psychology
  • Neuroimaging
  • Psychedelic Drugs
  • Dark Triad
  • Political Psychology

About

PsyPost is a psychology and neuroscience news website dedicated to reporting the latest research on human behavior, cognition, and society. (READ MORE...)

  • Contact us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms and Conditions
Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Cognitive Science Research
  • Mental Health Research
  • Social Psychology Research
  • Drug Research
  • Relationship Research
  • About PsyPost
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist