In Governing, Gadarian Discusses Vaccines' Polarizing Effect

October 8, 2021

Governing

Shana Kushner Gadarian

Political Science Department

Campbell Public Affairs Institute

COVID-19

Political Parties

United States

Governing

Shana Kushner Gadarian

There has always been resistance to vaccines, but prior to the pandemic, it fell roughly evenly across political parties. From the very start of the pandemic, people’s willingness to change their behavior—for instance, by washing their hands more or staying home—has been determined more by partisanship than any other factor, including age, race or geography, according to Shana Kushner Gadarian, professor and chair of political science. "The partisanship subsumed everything else," she says. "Across every dimension, not just of behavior but attitudes, partisanship stood out." Read more in the Governing article, "Partisanship = Death: How Vaccines Became a Polarizing Issue."