Christian nationalism predicted not just noncompliance but reversed precaution behavior
Evidence
With such disparities in trust in medical experts and mainstream news, it comes as no surprise that white Christian nationalism powerfully predicted resistance to following the recommendations of health experts publicized through most news outlets during the early stages of the pandemic. When we asked Americans in May 2020 how frequently they followed recommended precautions for limiting the spread of COVID-19 such as wearing a mask in public or washing hands more frequently, white Americans who scored higher on Christian nationalism were much less likely to take such precautions. In fact, they were more likely to engage in behavior that experts discouraged, such as meeting with large numbers of people, eating out in restaurants, or going shopping for nonessentials. — Philip S. Gorski and Samuel L. Perry, The Flag and the Cross, 141
Categorization
- CANDY: The counterprecaution finding — going shopping and eating out precisely because experts said not to — is a tidy elevator fact.
- XREF: connects to: Christian nationalism predicts approval of the Capitol rioters and political violence — Andrew L. Whitehead, American Idolatry, 219; Christian nationalism is radical, not conservative, and undermines democratic institutions — Katherine Stewart, The Power Worshippers: Inside the…, 33; White Christian nationalism explains seemingly contradictory Christian political behavior — Philip S. Gorski and Samuel L. Perry, The Flag and the Cross: White Christian…, 17
Broader Connections
- Christian nationalism predicts approval of the Capitol rioters and political violence
#corroborates(0.82) — Andrew L. Whitehead, American Idolatry, 219 - White Christian nationalism explains seemingly contradictory Christian political behavior
#expands(0.78) — Philip S. Gorski and Samuel L. Perry, The Flag and the Cross, 17 - Christian nationalism is radical, not conservative, and undermines democratic institutions
#corroborates(0.75) — Katherine Stewart, The Power Worshippers, 33