Gadarian discusses the effect of anxiety on political behavior on KGOU

October 7, 2020

KGOU

Shana Kushner Gadarian

Political Science Department

Campbell Public Affairs Institute

COVID-19

Political Parties

United States

KGOU

Shana Kushner Gadarian

Shana Gadarian, associate professor of political science, says the COVID-19 pandemic has acted like a "partisan" threat since people have taken cues from their preferred political party on who to trust and how to respond. "The COVID-19 pandemic appears to be more politicized and more threatening to some people on the political left than it is on the political right," says Gadarian. "There are these differing messages, one about whether or not the pandemic is a threat and two, how you actually protect yourself from it. We see this variation in both who people turn to for those messages and their actual behaviors in light of those recommendations that are coming differently from the Centers for Disease Control than from the White House." Listen to the full KGOU interview, "Oklahoma Engaged: How Fear And Anxiety Impact Political Behavior." 10/07/20