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Political polarization and cooperation during a pandemic

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  • Kirsten Cornelson
  • Boriana Miloucheva

Abstract

In this paper, we examine the relationship between political polarization and individuals' willingness to contribute to the public good by engaging in preventative behaviors against COVID‐19. Using a sample of individuals from close‐election states, we first show that individuals engage in fewer preventative behaviors when the governor of their state is from the opposite party. We also show that this effect is concentrated among moderate individuals who live in polarized states, and that it is strongest when the state has been relatively forceful in combating COVID‐19. We estimate that the opposite‐party effect increased COVID‐19 cases by around 1%.

Suggested Citation

  • Kirsten Cornelson & Boriana Miloucheva, 2022. "Political polarization and cooperation during a pandemic," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(9), pages 2025-2049, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:hlthec:v:31:y:2022:i:9:p:2025-2049
    DOI: 10.1002/hec.4560
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    Cited by:

    1. Jungook Kim, 2025. "Ownership, participation, and political behaviors: A latent-class analysis approach to democratic spillover," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 46(4), pages 1031-1059, November.
    2. Stankov, Petar, 2024. "Will voters polarize over pandemic restrictions? Theory and evidence from COVID-19," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    3. Dylan Yahampath & Petar Stankov & Martin Enilov, 2025. "When will Voters Re-elect Populists? Lessons from COVID-19 in Brazil," Comparative Economic Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Association for Comparative Economic Studies, vol. 67(4), pages 867-895, December.
    4. Marcel Garz & Maiting Zhuang, 2024. "Media coverage and pandemic behavior: Evidence from Sweden," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(6), pages 1319-1367, June.

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