Pandemic Politics: The Deadly Toll of Partisanship in the Age of COVID

by Shana Kushner Gadarian, Sara Wallace Goodman, Thomas B. Pepinsky

Overview

How the politicization of the pandemic endangers our lives—and our democracy

COVID-19 has killed more people than any war or public health crisis in American history, but the scale and grim human toll of the pandemic were not inevitable. Pandemic Politics examines how Donald Trump politicized COVID-19, shedding new light on how his administration tied the pandemic to the president’s political fate in an election year and chose partisanship over public health, with disastrous consequences for all of us.

Health is not an inherently polarizing issue, but the Trump administration’s partisan response to COVID-19 led ordinary citizens to prioritize what was good for their “team” rather than what was good for their country. Democrats, in turn, viewed the crisis as evidence of Trump’s indifference to public well-being. At a time when solidarity and bipartisan unity were sorely needed, Americans came to see the pandemic in partisan terms, adopting behaviors and attitudes that continue to divide us today. This book draws on a wealth of new data on public opinion to show how pandemic politics has touched all aspects of our lives—from the economy to race and immigration—and puts America’s COVID-19 response in global perspective.

An in-depth account of a uniquely American tragedy, Pandemic Politics reveals how the politicization of the COVID-19 pandemic has profound and troubling implications for public health and the future of democracy itself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691219011
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	11/05/2024
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Shana Kushner Gadarian is the Merle Goldberg Fabian Professor of Excellence in Citizenship and Critical Thinking at Syracuse University and the coauthor of Anxious Politics. Sara Wallace Goodman is professor of political science at the University of California, Irvine, and the author of Citizenship in Hard Times. Thomas B. Pepinsky is the Walter F. LaFeber Professor of Government and Public Policy at Cornell University and the coauthor of Piety and Public Opinion.

Table of Contents

List of Figures vii

Acknowledgments xi

Introduction 1

1 America's Preexisting Conditions 20

2 Politicizing the Pandemic 42

3 To Mask or Not to Mask: The Behavioral Response to COVID 78

4 Who's to Blame? The Emotional Response to COVID 106

5 What Your Country Can Do for You: The Partisan Split in Policy 128

6 The Cost of a Pandemic: COVID-19 and the American Economy 159

7 Do Not Enter: COVID-19 and the Politics of Immigration 183

8 The Burdens of Inequality: Race and the COVID-19 Pandemic 209

9 Voting for Your Life: COVID-19 and American Democracy 229

10 Shots in Arms: The Partisan Politics of Vaccination 253

Conclusion 269

Epilogue 285

Appendix 289

Notes 305

Bibliography 343

Index 373

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“In elegant and accessible prose, Pandemic Politics delivers a sobering message. Relying on an impressive six-wave panel study, the authors convincingly show that polarized politics crippled the American response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Anyone interested in understanding our flawed response to this health crisis should read this important book.”—Vincent L. Hutchings, University of Michigan

“In the future, when people are aiming to identify an objective source for what occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, Pandemic Politics should be at the top of the reading list. This book uses panel survey data to assess attitudes from a diverse group of Americans, often comparing outcomes to other countries. Importantly, this book not only grapples with COVID-19, but the multiple pandemics of systemic racism, police brutality, and political polarization.”—Rashawn Ray, University of Maryland

“This play-by-play of what life was like for Americans during the early 2020s should be on everyone’s bookshelf. Pandemic Politics is a stark reminder of the impact of COVID-19 and the long road to recovery.”—Lynn Vavreck, coauthor of The Bitter End: The 2020 Presidential Campaign and the Challenge to American Democracy

Editorial Reviews

A Foreign Affairs Best of Books

From the Publisher