Conservative views on COVID-19 severity unchanged by Trump's illness, study shows.
A study published in Royal Society Open Science found that when former President Donald Trump contracted COVID-19, it made conservatives more likely to accept that the virus is real, but it didn't change their views on how dangerous the virus is. The study also found that political orientation was a significant predictor of risk perception, with right-leaning participants expressing lower risk perception. However, the study found no significant association between Trump's diagnosis and risk perception among participants. The study suggests that participants with right-wing political views may have identified more closely with President Trump, making his diagnosis more influential in shaping their hoax beliefs.