Affiliation:
1. Department of Sociology and Anthropology West Virginia University Morgantown West Virginia USA
Abstract
AbstractObjectiveThis study considers how having personally tested positive for COVID‐19 or knowing someone who has tested positive for COVID‐19 is associated with an individual's reported change in confidence in the scientific community due to the pandemic.MethodsUsing data generated from a probability sample of U.S. adults, we estimate regression models predicting individuals’ reported change in confidence in the scientific community due to the pandemic.ResultsPolitical affiliation, age, having tested positive for COVID‐19, and knowing someone who tested positive for COVID‐19 are associated with reporting changes in confidence in the scientific community due to the pandemic.ConclusionThese findings suggest that the public's perception of the scientific community's response to the COVID‐19 pandemic is in part shaped by individuals’ personal contact with the virus.