When the novel coronavirus entered the US, most US states implemented lockdown measures. In April–May 2020, state governments started political discussions about whether it would be worth the risk to reduce protective measures. In a highly politicized environment, risk perceptions and preferences for risk mitigation may vary by political inclinations. In April–May 2020, we surveyed a nationally representative sample of 5517 members of the University of Southern California’s Understanding America Study. Of those, 37% identified as Democrats, 32% as Republican, and 31% as Third Party/Independent. Overall, Democrats perceived more risk associated with COVID-19 than Republicans, including for getting infected, being hospitalized and dying if infected, as well as running out of money as a result of the pandemic. Democrats were also more likely than Republicans to express concerns that states would lift economic restrictions too quickly, and to report mask use and social distancing. Generally, participants who identified as Third Party/Independent fell in between. Democrats were more likely to report watching MSNBC or CNN (vs. not), while Republicans were more likely to report watching Fox News (vs. not), and Third Party/Independents tended to watch neither. However, political inclinations predicted reported policy preferences, mask use, and social distancing, in analyses that accounted for differences in use of media sources, risk perceptions, and demographic background. In these analyses, participants’ reported media use added to the partisan divide in preferences for the timing of lifting economic restrictions and reported protective behaviors. Implications for risk communication are discussed.

中文翻译：

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美国居民对 COVID-19 风险认知、政策偏好和保护行为的政治两极分化


当新冠病毒进入美国时，美国大部分州都实施了封锁措施。 2020 年 4 月至 5 月，各州政府开始就是否值得冒险减少保护措施进行政治讨论。在高度政治化的环境中，风险认知和风险缓解偏好可能会因政治倾向而异。 2020 年 4 月至 5 月，我们对南加州大学了解美国研究的 5517 名全国代表性成员进行了调查。其中，37% 的人认为自己是民主党人，32% 的人认为自己是共和党人，31% 的人认为自己是第三方/独立人士。总体而言，民主党人比共和党人认为与 COVID-19 相关的风险更大，包括感染、住院和感染后死亡，以及因大流行而耗尽资金。民主党人也比共和党人更有可能表达对各州过快解除经济限制的担忧，并报告口罩的使用和社交距离。一般来说，被认定为第三方/独立的参与者介于两者之间。民主党人更有可能观看 MSNBC 或 CNN（与不观看），而共和党人更有可能观看福克斯新闻（与不观看），而第三方/独立人士则倾向于两者都不看。然而，在考虑媒体资源使用、风险认知和人口背景差异的分析中，政治倾向预测了报告的政策偏好、口罩使用和社交距离。在这些分析中，参与者报告的媒体使用情况加剧了对解除经济限制的时机和报告的保护行为的偏好的党派分歧。讨论了风险沟通的影响。