Factors of COVID-19-Skepticism in Russia: Evidence from Two Waves of the “Values in Crisis” Longitudinal Survey
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14515/monitoring.2023.5.2375Keywords:
COVID-19, COVID-19 skepticism, conspiracy theories, Schwartz’s basic values, science skepticism, institutional trustAbstract
This study aims at assessing the over-time stability of associations between COVID-19 skepticism and various socio-demographic and personality characteristics. For this purpose, the authors use data from two waves (June 2020, N = 1527; and April-May 2021, N = 1199, including 978 follow-up respondents) of the online panel survey ‘Values in Crisis’ (ViC). The findings from the second wave generally replicate the patterns observed in the data from the first wave, published earlier. In particular, COVID-19 skeptics are, on average, younger, have lower levels of educational attainment, higher scores on Schwartz’s value of openness to change, and lower scores on Schwartz’s value of conservatism. They are more likely to express xenophobic views but demonstrate lower levels of institutional trust and COVID-related anxiety. Yet, in contrast to mid-2020, COVID-19 skepticism is more widespread among low-income respondents while the ‘sobering’ effect of exposure to the disease has vanished. A few novel questions, absent in the questionnaire of the first wave but added in the second wave, indicate that skeptics are more likely to report good health and prone to conspiracy thinking.
Acknowledgements. The article was prepared in the framework of a research grant funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (grant ID: 075-15-2022-325).
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