When a lack of passion intertwines with thought and action: Neutral feelings about COVID-19 are associated with U.S. presidential candidate attitudes and voting behavior.

Researchers might assume that neutrality does not shape thought and action because it signals that nothing in the environment needs attention, hence a person has little need to alter their behavior. However, feeling neutral about an issue might be consequential. The COVID-19 pandemic was a major issue during the 2020 U.S. presidential election. We examined whether feeling neutral about COVID-19 was associated with attitudes about the top 2 presidential candidates (Trump vs. Biden) and behavior (i.e., whether a person voted and who they voted for). Data were collected at 2 critical time points: Study 1 was conducted immediately after the U.S. presidential election and Study 2 was conducted prior to the second Senate impeachment trial of Trump. Because feeling neutral about COVID-19 might indicate that a person views the issue as unworthy of attention, a perspective more aligned with Trump’s approach, we hypothesized that feeling neutral about COVID-19 would be associated with more pro-Trump attitudes and behaviors. Even after accounting for other affects about COVID-19, in both studies, neutrality was associated with more favorable attitudes toward Trump, less favorable attitudes toward Biden, being less likely to vote, and if a person did vote, being more likely to vote for Trump. In Sudy 2, neutrality was associated with less support for impeaching Trump. Overall, in contrast to the view that neutral affect exerts little influence, neutrality can be critically intertwined with thought and action.

© American Psychological Association, 2021-11-29. This paper is not the copy of record and may not exactly replicate the authoritative document published in the APA journal. Please do not copy or cite without author's permission. The final article is available, upon publication, at: https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0001051

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Work Title When a lack of passion intertwines with thought and action: Neutral feelings about COVID-19 are associated with U.S. presidential candidate attitudes and voting behavior.
Access
Open Access
Creators
  1. Hyun Joon Park
  2. Danfei Hu
  3. Elise Haynes
  4. Karen Gasper
Keyword
  1. Neutrality
  2. COVID-19
  3. Attitudes
  4. Behavior
License In Copyright (Rights Reserved)
Work Type Article
Publisher
  1. American Psychological Association (APA)
Publication Date December 2021
Publisher Identifier (DOI)
  1. 10.1037/emo0001051
Source
  1. Emotion
Deposited June 15, 2022

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Version 1
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  • Created
  • Added NEUTRALITY AND POLITICAL ATTITUDES BEHAVIOR_Preprint-1.pdf
  • Added Creator Hyun Joon Park
  • Added Creator Danfei Hu
  • Added Creator Elise Haynes
  • Added Creator Karen Gasper
  • Published
  • Updated Work Title, Keyword Show Changes
    Work Title
    • When a lack of passion intertwines with thought and action: Neutral feelings about COVID-19 are associated with U.S. presidential candidate attitudes and voting behavior.
    • ! When a lack of passion intertwines with thought and action: Neutral feelings about COVID-19 are associated with U.S. presidential candidate attitudes and voting behavior.
    Keyword
    • Neutrality, COVID-19, Attitudes, Behavior
  • Updated Creator Karen Gasper
  • Updated Work Title Show Changes
    Work Title
    • ! When a lack of passion intertwines with thought and action: Neutral feelings about COVID-19 are associated with U.S. presidential candidate attitudes and voting behavior.
    • When a lack of passion intertwines with thought and action: Neutral feelings about COVID-19 are associated with U.S. presidential candidate attitudes and voting behavior.
  • Updated Creator Karen Gasper
  • Updated