White people were more likely to ignore safety precautions like wearing masks and social distancing during the pandemic when they realized the various and disproportionately ways COVID-19 affected African Americans.
Psychologists at the University of Georgia’s Department of Social Science & Medicine made those conclusions following an in-depth study of racial disparities during the pandemic.
According to an earlier study by the Black Coalition Against Covid, the Yale School of Medicine, and the Morehouse School of Medicine, African Americans struggled more than most during the pandemic. “The severity of Covid-19 among Black Americans was the predictable result of structural and societal realities, not differences in genetic predisposition,” the authors stated.
“When people compare themselves to others who are less well off, they feel more satisfied with their current situation,” the authors asserted. “When confronted with threatening health concerns, people often spontaneously engage in downward comparisons as a means of coping, which has been shown to reduce engagement in health-protective behaviors. “Therefore, news stories about COVID-19 racial disparities may facilitate downward comparison among White U.S.