HOUSTON, TX – NOVEMBER 26: Dr. Joseph Varon hugs and comforts a patient in the COVID-19 intensive … [+]
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The truism is that Republicans brushed off early COVID-19 warnings while Democrats took them to heart. While that idea may hold some water, the split that continues to motivate Americans’ reactions to the threat of COVID-19 may be not so much between Republicans and Democrats or even between conservatives and liberals. The real nature of the divide may be evident in the results of a study holding implications for whether the United States electorate can work together to protect against the next national emergency. The study was conducted by a team of evolutionary anthropologists, cognitive scientists, and psychologists and reported in “Of Pathogens and Party Lines,” an article in the June 29, 2021 issue of the journal PLOS One.
The Study
UCLA anthropology graduate…