Health authorities have highlighted “pandemic fatigue” as a psychological consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic and warned that “fatigue” could demotivate compliance with health-related policies and mandates. Yet, fatigue from following the policies of authorities may have consequences far beyond the health domain. Theories from the social sciences have raised that real and perceived costs of policies can also drive sentiments of discontent with the entire political establishment. Integrating theories from the health and social sciences, we ask how pandemic fatigue (i.e., perceived inability to “keep up” with restrictions) developed over the pandemic and whether it fueled political discontent. Utilizing longitudinal and panel surveys collected from September 2020 to July 2021 in eight Western countries (N = 49,116), we analyze: 1) fatigue over time at the country level, 2) associations between pandemic fatigue and discontent, and 3) the effect of pandemic fatigue on political discontent using panel data. Pandemic fatigue significantly increased with time and the severity of interventions but also decreased with COVID-19 deaths. When triggered, fatigue elicited a broad range of discontent, including protest support and conspiratorial thinking. The results demonstrate the significant societal impact of the pandemic beyond the domain of health and raise concerns about the stability of democratic societies, which were already strained by strife prior to the pandemic.

中文翻译：

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在 COVID-19 大流行期间，大流行疲劳加剧了政治不满

卫生当局强调“大流行性疲劳”是 COVID-19 大流行的心理后果，并警告说“疲劳”可能会降低人们遵守与健康相关的政策和规定的积极性。然而，因遵循当局政策而产生的疲劳可能会产生远远超出健康领域的后果。社会科学理论提出，政策的实际成本和感知成本也会引发对整个政治机构的不满情绪。结合健康和社会科学的理论，我们询问大流行病疲劳（即认为无法“跟上”限制）是如何在大流行期间发展起来的，以及它是否助长了政治不满。利用 2020 年 9 月至 2021 年 7 月在八个西方国家（N = 49,116）收集的纵向和面板调查，我们分析：1) 国家层面的疲劳随时间推移，2) 大流行疲劳与不满之间的关联，以及 3) 使用面板数据大流行疲劳对政治不满的影响。大流行性疲劳会随着时间和干预措施的严重程度而显着增加，但也会随着 COVID-19 死亡而减少。当触发时，疲劳会引发广泛的不满，包括抗议支持和阴谋论。结果表明，大流行病的重大社会影响超出了健康领域，并引发了人们对民主社会稳定性的担忧，这些社会在大流行病之前就已经因冲突而紧张。大流行性疲劳会随着时间和干预措施的严重程度而显着增加，但也会随着 COVID-19 死亡而减少。当触发时，疲劳会引发广泛的不满，包括抗议支持和阴谋论。结果表明，大流行病的重大社会影响超出了健康领域，并引发了人们对民主社会稳定性的担忧，这些社会在大流行病之前就已经因冲突而紧张。大流行性疲劳会随着时间和干预措施的严重程度而显着增加，但也会随着 COVID-19 死亡而减少。当触发时，疲劳会引发广泛的不满，包括抗议支持和阴谋论。结果表明，大流行病的重大社会影响超出了健康领域，并引发了人们对民主社会稳定性的担忧，这些社会在大流行病之前就已经因冲突而紧张。