Political and educational dynamics behind the Evangelicals’ stance against mask mandates during COVID-19 in the U.S.

Abstract

This study investigates the mediation effect of conservative political ideology on the relation- Evangelical identity ship between Evangelical identities and attitudes against the mask mandate during COVID-19 in P Mask mandate the U.S., using a nationally representative survey administered over three waves from September COVID-19 ber 2020 to June 2021. We employ a moderated mediation analysis to examine the pathway of Political conservatism from Evangelical identity to political conservativeness to anti-mask-mandate attitudes and the Education Moderated mediation interaction effect between years of education and political ideology. A logistic regression model is used to investigate each path in the mediation analysis. Results suggest that controlling for socio-demographic background, self-identified Evangelical status positively drives resistance to the mask mandate. Additional findings confirm that political orientation is not only an established predictor of the polarized public support of masking, as found in existing studies but is E also a key mechanism by which Evangelical identities positively predict anti-mask-mask attitudes. Finally, higher education is associated with greater political polarization of public opinions on the mask mandate during the pandemic.

Recommended citation: Yang, J., Almquist, Z.W. and Jones, J.H. (2025). Political and educational dynamics behind the Evangelicals’ stance against mask mandates during COVID-19 in the U.S. Social Science Research, 125.
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