Throughout the course of the coronavirus pandemic, a vocal minority of Americans have resisted and often protested against public health measures designed to minimize the spread of COVID-19, the severe illness the virus often causes that overcrowds hospitals, and can lead to death. These protests have sometimes led to violent attacks on people wearing masks, nurses, doctors and health officials.
At the same time the Trump administration and Republican politicians were attempting to politically weaponize the pandemic by opposing lockdowns, vaccination campaigns and mask mandates, it was clear that COVID-19 disproportionately impacted the health of African Americans and the nation’s Hispanic population.
Now a new study conducted by psychologists at the University of Georgia have concluded that white Americans were more likely to ignore safety precautions such as wearing a mask and social distancing when they believed that the virus was not a “white people problem.” Between The Lines’ Scott Harris spoke with Allison Skinner-Dorkenoo, assistant professor of behavioral and brain sciences at the University of Georgia, who discusses the study she co-authored titled, “Highlighting COVID-19 Racial Disparities can Reduce Support for Safety Precautions Among White U.S. Residents.”
Listen to Scott Harris’ in-depth interview with Allison Skinner-Dorkenoo (17:29) and see more articles and opinion pieces in the Related Links section of this page.
