The propaganda seems to be working. People are terrified of COVID-19. Why Are People’s Risk Perceptions So Skewed?
Yesterday I noted that, 18 months after the start of the pandemic, a sizeable chunk of Americans still dramatically overestimate the risks of Covid. In a recent poll, more than one third said the risk of being hospitalised if you’re not vaccinated is at least 50%.
Of course, you’d expect some people to get the answer wrong just because we’re dealing with a small quantity, and there’s always going to be some degree of overestimation. But many people were off by a factor more than 10. What accounts for this?
Democrats get it more wrong the Republicans, but most people are clueless as to the real risk.
They will also recall that they were locked down for months, that their kids’ schools were closed, and that they had to wear a mask whenever they went to the grocery store.
Putting all this information together, they will tend to assume that the risk of being hospitalised from Covid is extremely high. ‘Why else,’ they might ask, ‘would there have been so many restrictions?’
Of course you can never expect the masses to get the risks right for anything. It is why they invested in Pets.com, play the lotto religiously, etc.
It is a lot easier with a population that was indoctrinated instead of educated.
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