How do Americans view the virus? Anthropology professor examines
attitudes, perceptions of COVID-19

Date:
September 25, 2020
Source:
Northern Arizona University
Summary:
A new study looks at how Americans' attitudes and responses have
changed during the time of the pandemic and how to many people,
the virus is not a biological agent but instead a malicious actor.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
In her ongoing research about Americans' responses to the COVID-19
pandemic, Northern Arizona University anthropology professor Lisa Hardy
and her collaborators have talked to dozens of people. A couple of them
stand out to the researchers.


========================================================================== Hardy spoke to a man who had polio as a child and had to live in a
home with an iron lung away from his family. He said he was not in
good health but he was not afraid of COVID-19 because he has seen all
of this. A woman told anthropology lecturer Leah Mundell that she was
the only Spanish-speaking contact tracer in her county, and she took on
the responsibility of helping clients with much more than their physical health, connecting them with services and translating for them as they struggled to access resources.

Hardy's research, to which Mundell contributed, was published this week
in Medical Anthropology. "Connection, Contagion, and COVID-19" looks at
how Americans' attitudes and responses have changed during the time of
the pandemic and how to many people, the virus is not a biological agent
but instead a malicious actor. This perception may play a role in the
various responses Hardy's team heard, including comments about racism,
social justice and mistrust of information.

"Social scientists have done an excellent job of exploring past pandemics
with regard to xenophobia -- the 'Spanish Flu,' for instance -- and how
people understand bodies and illness," Hardy said. "This work builds
on that by examining the COVID-19 pandemic in the current political
moment. The results of this and other research can help to inform areas
where collaborative interventions could potentially help to slow the
spread of the virus and support well-being for people living through
this time." The research project, which is a collaboration as part of
the Social Science Community Engagement Lab, started six months ago,
in the early days of the pandemic in the United States. Researchers,
including Hardy, Mundell and two others, conducted semi-structured conversational phone interviews with 50 diverse participants. They asked open-ended questions about how people are dealing with the pandemic and
their experiences of social and political responses. Then they transcribe
the recorded interviews and apply codes to the transcripts to identify patterns. Hardy said this qualitative strategy is ideal for exploring
a situation that is rapidly changing and unfolding over time.

As they've called more people, the researchers have seen the interview
content change. In more recent interviews, people talked about social
uprisings like Black Lives Matter. They're analyzing the relationship
between these social movements and perceptions of COVID-19.

Researchers also are talking to more people who have had COVID-19 or
had loved ones who got sick. Recent data includes how people reflect
on medical care and contact tracing; that information will be useful
for pandemic response. They also will continue interviewing after the
Nov. 3 election, which will offer insight into the politicization of
the pandemics and its effects.

Tracing the logic of different groups also is important for the group's research. Hardy said they've seen an increase in conspiracy theories in
more recent interviews, as people across the political spectrum develop unfounded theories about the virus and its reach.

"We want to understand where these ideas are coming from and see how
they influence behavior like vaccine uptake, health practices and voting patterns," she said.

The article includes specific responses researchers have collected as
they describe their experiences. They run the gamut; interviewees shared
fears, concerns and conspiracy theories. Other interviewees talked at
length about new connections and circles of care they have formed to
help others and to accept help when needed.

"The strength of some of the people who are having to live through
hardships is really heartwarming to us," Hardy said. "It gives us hope in
this time of tragic loss and tension in the United States." While the long-term effects of the pandemic are impossible to predict at this
point, Hardy anticipates ongoing effects from the loss of loved ones and inability to grieve together as well as long-term health effects in people
who survive COVID-19 but continue to have symptoms. But, she added, the
country is seeing the development of creative and dynamic strategies for connection and resilience that will hopefully persist through generations.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Northern_Arizona_University. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Lisa J. Hardy. Connection, Contagion, and COVID-19. Medical
Anthropology,
2020; 1 DOI: 10.1080/01459740.2020.1814773 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200925113617.htm

--- up 4 weeks, 4 days, 6 hours, 50 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1337:3/111)