Yep—new data shows how divided Democrats and Republicans have become over coronavirus.
To use the argot of public health experts, the COVID-19 virus has a new transmission vector in America: partisanship.
Polls have unsurprisingly showed a yawning gap between Democrats and Republicans over their political interpretations of the coronavirus, such as how they rate President Trump’s handling of the outbreak so far.
But new data suggests that these beliefs are also playing a role in Americans’ personal decisions about their own health—and that steps recommended by experts to prevent the spread of the virus are increasingly superseded by partisan identity. The findings come from a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Friday. The survey asked Americans how they were responding to the outbreak, posing questions about personal hygiene and other preventive measures. Continue reading.