Almost six months ago, when my Morning colleagues and I released Our final poll on CovidThe profound anxiety of Americans who identify as “very liberal” is one of the key findings.
Forty-seven percent of libertarian adults say they believe Covid poses a “major risk” to their personal health and well-being. That’s a significantly larger percentage than conservatives, moderates, or even libertarians, who don’t call themselves very liberal. Of particular note is the level of concern among liberals under 45, although the worst effects of the virus are concentrated among older people.
I understand why attitudes about the virus differ so much ideologically. Our country is polarized on most of the issues that are emerging today. In the case of Covid, Donald Trump and several other Republicans have exacerbated the divide by offering a series of false statement downplayed the threat or misrepresented the vaccine.
For many libertarians, taking Covid seriously – more seriously, sometimes, more than scientifically proven evidence – has become an expression of identity and solidarity. As one progressive activist tweeted last year, “The inconvenience of having to wear a mask is so worth it that people don’t think I’m a conservative.”
This morning, we released the results of our latest Covid poll (like the previous ones, conducted by Morning Consult). This time, one of the key findings is how much attitudes have changed since spring. Americans are less worried about this virus today – and the cause of that decline is anxiety levels are dwindling among very liberals, including many young people.
The proportion of very liberals who said the virus posed a great risk to their personal health fell to 34%. The 13-point drop since March is larger than the drop for any of the other six ideological self-identifications in the poll:
More and more liberal Americans have decided that it’s time to treat Covid as an uncomfortable but manageable part of life, just like many other Americans – as well. people in other countries – decided many months ago.
Back to school
What explains the change? In part, it may be a reflection of changing reality. Drugs like Paxlovid and Evusheld are now widely available, reduce risk for the vulnerable.
But psychology also seems to play a role. After all, many aspects of the pandemic have not changed in the past six months. Both then and now, vaccines provide excellent protection against severe illness; the risk of hospitalization for children and most adults under the age of 50 is very small; and vaccines reduce the chances of long-term Covid.
All of which suggests that libertarians’ diminishing anxiety is also partly rooted in the passage of time. Trump has not been president for more than 18 months. Instead be a Democrat promoting progressive policies on climate change, healthcare and student loans – while encouraging Americans not to let fear of Covid rule their lives. .
“Americans can safely take off their masks, return to work, stay in class, and move forward safely,” President Biden said this spring.
An example of a liberal attitude change involves live school. When asked about the best policy for K-12 education, a growing number of libertarians favor only in-person learning, rather than blended or distance learning. The partisan gap on this question has narrowed since earlier this year:
(The school question comes from Exciting weekly polls that Morning Consult has been working on since the beginning of the pandemic.)
The remaining gaps
To be sure, the partisan divide over Covid has not gone away.
Conservatives are less likely to get vaccinated or boosted, which means many voluntarily expose themselves to the Covid risk. And libertarian Americans are still more worried about the virus than most other demographic groups, including the elderly.
That model doesn’t seem to fit with scientific reality, given that very liberals are younger than any other ideological group and that the impact of Covid is much worse on older people. But this model could help explain why young people in our poll say they wear masks slightly more often than older adults – and why some schools and workplaces that still have a regulation to wear masks tend to live in free lands.
Here’s a prediction, though: Without a major shift in the virus itself (such as a dangerous new variant), Covid anxiety levels will continue to decline in the coming months, across the globe. political tribe.
One final note
The federal government will probably approve The next generation of enhanced photos – designed to combat the latest variations even more effectively – in the coming days. Within a week or two, these new injections will likely be offered to Americans 12 years of age and older.
A good general rule of thumb is that anyone who hasn’t been vaccinated in 2022 should consider doing so in the coming weeks. As Dr Ashish Jha, the White House coordinator, told me yesterday: “It’s really important, especially if you’re at high risk, but really for anyone. If you haven’t had a booster shot this year, it’s important that you go buy a booster. “
Severe Covid disease continues to be concentrated in people over 65 years of age, especially those who have not been vaccinated or have not been vaccinated.
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