Opinion | Covid-19 may be hastening democracy's demise - The Washington Post - 0 views
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Trust in U.S. institutions has been declining for years, thanks to government scandals, economic dislocation, increased inequality and social media. Now, evidence is growing that the coronavirus pandemic is making the phenomenon much worse.
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As Jonathan Haidt recently wrote in the Atlantic: “The right has been so committed to minimizing the risks of covid that it has turned the disease into one that preferentially kills Republicans. The progressive left is so committed to maximizing the dangers of covid that it often embraces an equally maximalist, one-size-fits-all strategy for vaccines, masks, and social distancing — even as they pertain to children.” The latter doesn’t kill people, but it has worsened isolation, polarization and Americans’ suspicion of the government.
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The data strongly suggest that we are emerging from the crisis with lower levels of trust than before. This might account for why Americans seem excessively grouchy and unwilling to credit government for the recovery thus far. And it almost certainly is connected to higher levels of depression and anxiety in our daily lives.
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