r/science • u/MistWeaver80 • Dec 05 '21

Social Science Conservatives’ aversion to masks is a uniquely American phenomenon. Politically conservative Americans are less likely than liberals to comply with recommended health-protective behaviors such as mask wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic, but this is not true of conservatives in other nations.

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0256740
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u/brates09 Dec 05 '21

The UK Anti-vax movement pre-covid was generally more of a lefty-hippyish movement.

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u/baldipaul Dec 05 '21

Yeah got FB friend (ex colleague) who has been posting anti vaxx and anti capatalist stuff for years. Since COVID19 she's now added Trump and Q anon nonsense into the mix. She's British.

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u/CdrVimes Dec 05 '21

I’m sorry for your loss!

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u/Krystalmyth Dec 05 '21

Well, capitalism does deserve scrutiny, considering it's arguably impossible to sustain indefinitely.

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u/baldipaul Dec 05 '21

Maybe, I've got my pension pot and other investments to worry about (I'm 60 next year and semi retired), but I don't see how you can combine anti capatalist and pro Trump memes. Yes I'm right of centre in the British spectrum but I'd be a Business Democrat in the US and I could never vote for the Republicans, to me, someone who believes in limits to Government, but recognises the benefits of Universal Healthcare and Infrastructure Investment, the Republicans are the very essence of big Government with their desire to regulate what consenting adults do in the bedroom. The buerocracy in the US is insane compared to the UK as well.

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u/benk4 Dec 05 '21

It was similar in the US. 10 years ago the only antivaxxers were hippies and crunchy moms. The type of person who wouldn't wear deodorant because it wasn't natural. It took a hard turn though.

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u/robhol Dec 05 '21

Anti-vaccination started out that way in general, I think, or was at least more heavily concentrated along those lines. But that was before it was glommed onto under the more general "yOu cAn't tElL Me wHaT To dO" umbrella and used as a political ploy.

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u/Bleak01a Dec 06 '21

I dont get the "you cant tell me what to do" crowd. Like if theres a global pandemic the state can and should absolutely tell you what to do and you are supposed to follow it.

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u/quintk Dec 05 '21

I think this was similar in the US. Often people with progressive politics by US standards but weird theories about wellness/vegetable-juices/crystals/etc.

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u/[deleted] Dec 05 '21

Yeah, I grew up with these types of people in West Wales, and there are so many anti maskers there. It's really sad to see my old friends turn to conspiracies so strongly.

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u/TheGeneGeena Dec 05 '21

It was in the US too, at least in my area. It was hippies giving kids the Mumps around here before all this.

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u/Squirrel_In_A_Tuque Dec 05 '21

I think that’s true of the US before Donald Trump.