Infections and Elections

@article{Beall2016InfectionsAE,
  title={Infections and Elections},
  author={Alec T. Beall and Marlise K. Hofer and Mark Schaller},
  journal={Psychological Science},
  year={2016},
  volume={27},
  pages={595 - 605}
}
In the studies reported here, we conducted longitudinal analyses of preelection polling data to test whether an Ebola outbreak predicted voting intentions preceding the 2014 U.S. federal elections. Analyses were conducted on nationwide polls pertaining to 435 House of Representatives elections and on state-specific polls pertaining to 34 Senate elections. Analyses compared voting intentions before and after the initial Ebola outbreak and assessed correlations between Internet search activity… 
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Did an Ebola outbreak influence the 2014 U.S. federal elections? (Hint: Only if you ignore autocorrelation)
In a recent paper, Beall, Hofer, and Schaller (2016) use observational time series data to test the hypothesis that the 2014 Ebola outbreak influenced the 2014 U.S. Federal Elections. They find…
The Virus of Fear: The Political Impact of Ebola in the U.S
We study how fear can affect the behavior of voters and politicians by looking at the Ebola scare that hit the U.S. a month before the 2014 midterm elections. Exploiting the timing and location of…
Evidence That an Ebola Outbreak Influenced Voting Preferences, Even After Controlling (Mindfully) for Autocorrelation: Reply to Tiokhin and Hruschka (2017)
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There is no evidence that an Ebola outbreak influenced voting preferences in the 2014 elections after controlling for time-series autocorrelation, and a Commentary by Tiokhin and Hruschka reports new analyses of these data after first detrending key variables.
COVID-19 pandemic and political participation in Lagos, Nigeria
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Results indicate a general tendency to believe COVID-19 is not real in Nigeria, and most of the safety measures in fighting against the virus are not essential, so voter turnout during the pandemic is likely to be very low.
“Dirty Politics”: The Role of Disgust Sensitivity in Voting
A growing body of research indicates that disgust sensitivity plays an important role in politics. Indeed, preliminary evidence indicates that disgust sensitivity predicts voting behavior. However,…
The political economy of health epidemics: Evidence from the Ebola outbreak
No Evidence That an Ebola Outbreak Influenced Voting Preferences in the 2014 Elections After Controlling for Time-Series Autocorrelation: A Commentary on Beall, Hofer, and Schaller (2016)
In a recent article, Beall, Hofer, and Schaller (2016) used observational time-series data to test the hypothesis that the 2014 Ebola outbreak influenced the 2014 U.S. federal elections. This…
Too afraid to vote? The effects of COVID-19 on voting behaviour
U.S. congressional elections, a month before and a month after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s announcement of the first Ebola case in the United States
In a recent article, Beall, Hofer, and Schaller (2016) used observational time-series data to test the hypothesis that the 2014 Ebola outbreak influenced the 2014 U.S. federal elections. This…
Of pathogens and party lines: Social conservatism positively associates with COVID-19 precautions among U.S. Democrats but not Republicans
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Investigation of the relationship between social conservatism and COVID-19 precautionary behavior in light of the partisan landscape of the United States explored whether consumption of, and attitudes toward, different sources of information, as well as differential evaluation of various threats caused by the pandemic shape partisan differences in responses to thePandemic in ways that overwhelm the contributions of social conservatism.
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