Question wording and attitudinal ambivalence: COVID, the economy, and Americans' response to a real‐life trolley problem

Stephen C. Craig, Angela Farizo McCarthy and Jason Gainous

Social Science Quarterly, 2022, vol. 103, issue 1, 18-30

Abstract: Objective As the coronavirus pandemic raged throughout 2020, political leaders faced a difficult choice: Should strict social distancing guidelines be maintained until the threat posed by COVID‐19 was diminished enough for citizens to return to their regular activities? Or was the economic disruption caused by the pandemic something that was, according to President Trump, "worse than the problem itself"? Methods We analyze data from a 2020 survey of registered voters. Results Democrats were more likely than Republicans to resolve the tradeoff in favor of maintaining social distancing over rebuilding the economy. More importantly, we find that when faced with this moral dilemma (measured by one's choice between a utilitarian vs. a deontological approach when confronted with a real‐life "trolley problem"), many citizens from both sides of the partisan aisle were of two minds on the subject. Conclusion Americans are ambivalent about the appropriate government response to COVID‐19.

Date: 2022
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