Political beliefs and the acceptance of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic restrictions. The case of Poland.

Agnieszka Turska-Kawa,Irena Pilch,Ali B Mahmoud

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0264502

Agnieszka Turska-Kawa, Irena Pilch + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0264502

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Abstract

We investigated the relationships between political beliefs regarding two aspects of the right-left distinction (cultural and economic) and the acceptance of the pandemic restrictions using variable-centred and person-centred approaches. The community sample consisted of 305 participants. Four groups of the restrictions were considered. Religious fundamentalism predicted positively the acceptance of the restrictions associated with the limitations of labour rights and those limiting civil rights without a direct impact on safety. Anti-welfare negatively predicted the acceptance of the restrictions regarding social distancing and those limiting civil rights and increasing safety. These associations were discussed in relation to basic needs and values which motivate persons who endorse right-wing or left-wing political views. The latent profile analysis revealed three profiles of political beliefs, which were termed “Conservative Statists,” “Liberal Laissez-fairists,” and “Conservative Laissez-fairists.” The profiles differed in terms of acceptance of the pandemic restrictions, and the patterns of these relationships were different for particular groups of restrictions.

Highlights

The epidemic of the novel coronavirus, i.e., severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), first reported in Wuhan, Hubei Province in China in 2019, has been experienced worldwide
The virus leads to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which can result in respiratory failure [1, 2]
The aim of the paper is to search for relationships between the political beliefs of the citizens and the degree of acceptance of various types of restrictions focused on limiting the spread of the coronavirus

Summary

Introduction

The epidemic of the novel coronavirus, i.e., severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), first reported in Wuhan, Hubei Province in China in 2019, has been experienced worldwide. The virus leads to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which can result in respiratory failure [1, 2]. It spread very quickly, forcing successive countries to take decisions to increase the safety and security of their citizens, including closing borders, switching to remote work, or introducing restrictions on the use of basic public services. Due to the lack of visible effects of the restrictions introduced at the national level the so-called national quarantine was announced on 28th December 2020.

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