Denialism and economic insecurity as motivators of resistance to Lockdown in Brazil during COVID-19 Pandemic
Description
Supplementary information from above mentionedObjective: To explore brazilians’ positioning about the lockdown in the COVID-19 pandemic in association with individual, social and economic factors, searching for clusters that explain divergence on positioning in favor or against the lockdown measure. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study based on a survey to understand the profile of Brazilians’ opinion and their driving factors. We used an online questionnaire, which contained objective questions on socio-demographic aspects and individual views regarding the Pandemic. The sampling was on demand, through social networks. The analysis was performed using clusterization. Results: Between between April and May 2021, we collected 33,796 free participations via social media throughout the country; 33,363 of those were analyzed. The pro-lockdown opinion was most prevalent in almost all socio-demographic strata. Two groups were identified in the study populations, here referred to as Pro-Lockdown – aligned with scientific recommendations – and Anti-Lockdown – economic insecurity and denialism. Those who are anti-lockdown downplay the severity of the pandemic and believe in unproven measures. However, they are afraid to lose their jobs and not afford to pay their bills. Overall, people do not believe in the feasibility of a lockdown in Brazil or in the efficacy of measures taken by the government. As an important study bias, there was a small participation of low-income people and lower participation of men, who are mostly anti-lockdown. Conclusion: Despite the prevalence of pro-lockdown positioning, there are no consensus in Brazil about the measure. The emerging clusters makes it clear that beyond denialism, economic insecurity occupies a central position in the anti-lockdown view. manuscript