More Republicans follow COVID guidelines when they're told it will protect themselves

republicans claim they are patriotic.  But a patriot cares about other people in our country, not just themselvles.

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-11/uobc-mrf103020.php

 

News Release 2-Nov-2020
New research from the UBC Sauder School of Business suggests Democrats feel responsible for others, while Republicans feel responsible for themselves
University of British Columbia

For decades, scientists have predicted that a deadly pandemic would sweep the globe -- but what they didn't expect was that basic public health measures such as mask wearing and social distancing would become political flashpoints, especially in the United States.

But according to new research from the UBC Sauder School of Business, a different approach to public health messaging could help ease those tensions - and potentially save lives.


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What they found was that conservatives tend to focus on self-reliance and feel responsible for their own outcomes, whereas liberals take more of a community-minded view and are more likely to take responsibility for others.

Democrats tend to feel their community-minded actions make a difference, whereas many Republicans believe they aren't particularly helpful.

"Republicans have this perception that if they do the social distancing, the mask wearing, the hand sanitizing and all these different things, they have less of an impact on others -- whereas the Democrats feel like these behaviours will have an impact on others," explains UBC Sauder Professor Katherine White, who is also the academic director of the Dhillon Centre for Business Ethics.

"So Republicans basically say, 'It's my choice and I'm going to do what I want. It's not really affecting anyone else.'"

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