Study Confirms Political Influence on Preventing COVID Spread

People who feel strongly connected to their country are more likely to practice social distancing and mask wearing amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to research that looked at nearly 70 nations worldwide.  “In pretty much every country we examined around the world, people who were strongly identified [with their country] were more willing to make personal sacrifices to promote public health,” lead researcher Jay Van Bavel told VOA.  However, there’s a catch: The research also found that in the United States, someone’s political party or philosophy can affect their compliance with public health initiatives. “For example, one study that usedmore