Highlighting COVID racial disparities can reduce support for precautions among white people

[KSera]

This is a preprint, but I was fascinated to see someone actually studied this, because I’ve sensed since early the pandemic that part of the reason for the baffling “Covid is just the flu” attitude from a segment of the population despite a staggering and ever increasing death toll was because of those people’s impression that it was something happening to “other” people. 
 

The study is Highlighting COVID-19 racial disparities can reduce support for safety precautions among White U.S. residents

“Reading about the persistent inequalities that produced COVID-19 racial disparities reduced fear of COVID-19, empathy for those vulnerable to COVID-19, and support for safety precautions. These findings suggest that publicizing racial health disparities has the potential to create a vicious cycle wherein raising awareness reduces support for the very policies that could protect public health and reduce disparities.”

🙁

 

eta: I now find myself concerned that just reading this post could have the same effect of diminishing concern among some people, so I feel the need to also add that despite the disparities, most Covid deaths in the US are still in white people. Maybe that also needs to be better publicized to get some people to care more 😞.

Edited April 1, 2022 by KSera