This and other polls show that a majority of Republicans think the threat of the virus has been exaggerated. Compared to Democrats, a lesser percentage of them have been vaccinated, or at least admit to it. A higher percentage of Democrats are vaccinated and polling shows they see Covid as more of a threat.
On both sides, political ideology can cause people’s views to ossify. A typical Republican might want to shed mandates and masks and have all Covid precautions made optional, regardless of whether current conditions and their health or age puts them in a high-risk category.
An archetypal Democrat may be so consumed with risk-avoidance that he or she demands that schools be closed when case levels rise, underemphasizing the toll to students’ mental health and the academic reversals from all-remote learning.
The polarization in American politics turns disagreement into a blood sport. Opponents of mask or vaccine mandates demonstrate against politicians allegedly trying to control their lives, deny them their Constitution-protected freedoms and turn the citizenry into sheep. Politicians imposing mandates have been threatened by unhinged citizens, some waving guns, who have inhaled too much overheated rhetoric.
Similarly, it’s important in all states, blue or red, to guard against the reverse – shying away from discussing changing conditions as the Omicron surge eases and light is visible farther down the tunnel. To her credit, Gov. Kathy Hochul is having those conversations.
