Republicans were more concerned about Ebola than they’ve been about coronavirus. Here’s why.

Republicans were more concerned about Ebola than they’ve been about coronavirus. Here’s why.

Michael Tesler, UCI associate professor of political science writes, “Why would Republicans be more concerned about Ebola than the coronavirus when the latter is obviously such a greater physical and economic threat? A lot of that can be explained by the power of partisan messages. Political science research has long shown that partisan messages have a big influence on public opinion. When party leaders take diverging positions on issues, the public usually follows their lead — especially on new and complex issues like the respective threats from Ebola and covid-19.”