Pandemics and Politics

But at night
When all the world's asleep
The questions run so deep
For such a simple man
--Supertramp

Personal observation suggests that beliefs about the severity of the COVID-19 situation and about the extent to which draconian countermeasures (i.e., shutting down the economy and forcing people into the homes, etc) are more pronounced toward the progressive side of the political spectrum.

If there was such a relationship, then what might explain it? Perhaps it's simply the Trump Derangement Syndrome at work. Progressives who can't shake their Trump-related cognitive dissonance/psychosis  may perceive all social and economic problems as being worst case scenarios and exacerbated by the president. They might also see opportunity in crashing the economy in hopes that voters will take it out on Trump at the ballot box.

Of course, socialists all the way back to Marx have believed that torching social and economic fabric somehow works to their advantage. Because they expect that a utopian socialism would somehow rise from the ashes of societal breakdown, they don't mind lighting some fires.

Or perhaps it's a cognitive thing. Maybe progressive ideals appeal to fast thinkers who are more prone to reactive, emotional decision-making. Under conditions of threat, fast thinking progressives might be more likely to narrow information channels and rely more on central authority, and are less likely to visualize dynamic, adaptive responses to problems that are enacted voluntarily rather than coercively. As fast thinkers, they would be less likely to weigh the costs of various alternatives to combat a public health threat.

In any event, survey/polling research in this area might yield interesting findings.