Hahrie Han’s research while affiliated with Johns Hopkins University and other places

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Publications (9)


American Trust in Science & Institutions in the Time of COVID-19
  • Article
  • Full-text available

November 2022

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38 Reads

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6 Citations

Daedalus

C. Ross Hatton

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Colleen L. Barry

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Adam S. Levine

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[...]

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Hahrie Han

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted many discussions about how people's trust in science shaped our ability to address the crisis. Early in the pandemic, our research team set out to understand how trust in science relates to support for public health guidelines, and to identify some trusted sources of science. In this essay, we share our findings and offer ideas about what might be done to strengthen the public's trust in science. Notably, our research shows a stark partisan divide: Republicans had lower support for public health guidelines, and their trust in science and institutions such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health eroded over time. Meanwhile, Democrats’ trust in science has remained high throughout the pandemic. In the context of this divide, we explore how trust in various information sources, from governmental institutions to the media, relates to trust in science, and suggest that the best avenue for rebuilding trust might be through empowering local institutions and leaders to help manage future crises.

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US Adults’ Beliefs About Harassing or Threatening Public Health Officials During the COVID-19 Pandemic

July 2022

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12 Reads

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18 Citations

JAMA Network Open

Importance: The rise in attacks on public health officials has weakened the public health workforce and complicated COVID-19 mitigation efforts. Objective: To examine the share of US adults who believed harassing or threatening public health officials because of COVID-19 business closures was justified and the factors shaping those beliefs. Design, setting, and participants: The Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 Civic Life and Public Health Survey was fielded from November 11 to 30, 2020, and July 26 to August 29, 2021. A nationally representative cohort of 1086 US adults was included. Main outcomes and measures: Respondents were asked how much they believed that threatening or harassing public health officials for business closures to slow COVID-19 transmission was justified. Adjusted differences in beliefs regarding attacks on public health officials were examined by respondent sociodemographic and political characteristics and by trust in science. Results: Of 1086 respondents who completed both survey waves, 565 (52%) were women, and the mean (SE) age was 49 (0.77) years. Overall, 177 respondents (16%) were Hispanic, 125 (11%) were non-Hispanic Black, 695 (64%) were non-Hispanic White, and 90 (8%) were non-Hispanic and another race. From November 2020 to July and August 2021, the share of adults who believed harassing or threatening public health officials because of business closures was justified rose from 20% (n = 218) to 25% (n = 276) (P = .046) and 15% (n = 163) to 21% (n = 232) (P = .01), respectively. In multivariable regression analysis, respondents who trusted science not much or not at all were more likely to view threatening public health officials as justified compared with who trusted science a lot (November 2020: 35% [95% CI, 21%-49%] vs 7% [95% CI, 4%-9%]; P < .001; July and August 2021: 47% [95% CI, 33%-61%] vs 15% [95% CI, 11%-19%]; P < .001). There were increases in negative views toward public health officials between November 2020 and July and August 2021, among those earning $75 000 or more annually (threatening justified: 7 [95% CI, 1-14] percentage points; P = .03), those with some college education (threatening justified: 6 [95% CI, 2-11] percentage points; P = .003), those identifying as politically independent (harassing justified: 9 [95% CI, 3-14] percentage points; P = .01), and those trusting science a lot (threatening justified: 8 [95% CI, 4-13] percentage points; P < .001). Conclusions and relevance: While antagonism toward public health officials was concentrated among those doubting science and groups most negatively affected by the pandemic (eg, those with lower income and less education), the findings of this study suggest that there has been a shift toward such beliefs within more economically advantaged subgroups and those more trusting of science. Restoring public trust in public health officials will require nuanced engagement with diverse groups.


Civic engagement and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic

May 2022

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35 Reads

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9 Citations

BMC Public Health

Background To examine the relationship between civic association participation and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly whether different forms of engagement mitigate the increased rates of psychological distress throughout 2020. Methods Panel survey data collected from a nationally representative cohort of 1222 U.S. adults. Data was collected in three waves in April, July, and November 2020. Psychological distress was measured using the validated Kessler-6 instrument in November 2020. Results Respondents belonging to political associations were more likely to experience psychological distress (difference in predicted level of psychological distress on a 0-1 scale: 0.098, p ≤ .05) relative to those in unknown associations. However, individuals in political associations who more frequently interacted with others had lower levels of psychological distress (−.065, p ≤ .05) compared to those in political associations with less frequent interactions. Conclusions Civic engagement that facilitates interpersonal interactions may protect against psychological distress.


The influence of civic associations and exposure to ideological heterogeneity on public views on mask wearing and social distancing

May 2022

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8 Reads

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1 Citation

Preventive Medicine

Mask wearing and social distancing have been essential public health guidelines throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, but faced resistance from skeptical subgroups in the United States, including Republicans and evangelicals. We examined the effects of participation in ideologically heterogeneous civic associations on attitudes toward public health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly among partisan and religious subgroups most resistant to public health guidelines. We analyzed panel survey data from a nationally representative cohort of 1222 U.S. adults collected in April, July, and November 2020, and July/August 2021. Data on the importance of social distancing and mask wearing were collected in November 2020. Evangelicals and Republicans who participated in ideologically diverse civic associations were more likely to support mask wearing compared to those participating in ideologically homogenous associations (difference in predicted policy support on a 0–1 scale: 0.084, p ≤ .05 and 0.020, p ≤ .05, respectively). Evangelicals in ideologically diverse associations were also more likely to support social distancing compared to those in ideologically homogenous associations (0.089, p ≤ .05). Participation in civic associations with ideologically heterogeneous members was associated with greater support for public health measures among skeptical subgroups. Encouraging exposure to diverse ideologies may bolster support for public health measures to mitigate COVID-19.



Change Over Time in Public Support for Social Distancing, Mask Wearing, and Contact Tracing to Combat the COVID-19 Pandemic Among US Adults, April to November 2020

March 2021

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44 Reads

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31 Citations

American Journal of Public Health

Objectives. To examine how sociodemographic, political, religious, and civic characteristics; trust in science; and fixed versus fluid worldview were associated with evolving public support for social distancing, indoor mask wearing, and contact tracing to control the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods. Surveys were conducted with a nationally representative cohort of US adults in April, July, and November 2020. Results. Support for social distancing among US adults dropped from 89% in April to 79% in July, but then remained stable in November 2020 at 78%. In July and November, more than three quarters of respondents supported mask wearing and nearly as many supported contact tracing. In regression-adjusted models, support differences for social distancing, mask wearing, and contact tracing were most pronounced by age, partisanship, and trust in science. Having a more fluid worldview independently predicted higher support for contact tracing. Conclusions. Ongoing resistance to nonpharmaceutical public health responses among key subgroups challenge transmission control. Public Health Implications. Developing persuasive communication efforts targeting young adults, political conservatives, and those distrusting science should be a critical priority. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print March 18, 2021: e1–e12. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.306148 )


Public Support for Social Safety-Net Policies for COVID-19 in the United States, April 2020

December 2020

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19 Reads

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7 Citations

American Journal of Public Health

Objectives. To examine public support for health insurance, income support, and unemployment policies during the initial phase of disease transmission and economic distress following the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak and to assess varying public support based on beliefs about the role of government. Methods. We fielded a nationally representative survey of US adults (n = 1468) from April 7, 2020, to April 13, 2020. Results. Of US adults, 77% supported paid sick leave, and a majority also supported universal health insurance, an increased minimum wage, and various unemployment support policies. Public support for an active government role in society to improve citizens’ lives increased by 10 percentage points during this initial pandemic response relative to September 2019. Belief in a strong governmental role in society was associated with greater support for social safety-net policies. Conclusions. During the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in early April 2020, most US adults favored a range of safety-net policies to ameliorate its negative health and economic consequences. For most safety-net policies, public support was highest among those favoring a stronger governmental role in society.



Citations (9)


... In situations of risk uncertainty and incomplete information, experts can use their expertise and experience to react quickly to the situation. In response to the COVID-19 epidemic, especially in its early stages, experts played a key role in the decision-making process for epidemic prevention and control (Hatton et al., 2022;Weingart et al., 2022). ...

Reference:

How the crisis of trust in experts occurs on social media in China? Multiple-case analysis based on data mining
American Trust in Science & Institutions in the Time of COVID-19

Daedalus

... In addition to government mandates, many private businesses and organizations also implemented vaccine requirements for their employees and customers [2]. However, the mandates for the COVID-19 vaccines were met with resistance [3] and heated debates surrounding COVID-19 vaccines created a hostile environment for public health officials [4,5]. Given the potential for compulsory immunization to intensify vaccine hesitancy and fuel anti-vaccine sentiment, the scientific community has urged caution in implementing vaccine mandates [6]. ...

US Adults’ Beliefs About Harassing or Threatening Public Health Officials During the COVID-19 Pandemic

JAMA Network Open

... Some people say they were reluctant to wear a face mask for health reasons related to discomfort or distrust in mask effectiveness [21,25,26]. Others attributed their masking non-adherence to their political party affiliation, personal values, or ideological self-identification [24,[33][34][35][36][37][38]40]. The present study aimed to expand on this research by surveying college students to examine how ideological consistency, reported news-sharing behaviors, normative personality variables such as self-esteem, and moral virtues like compassion contribute to mask-wearing attitudes and behaviors. ...

The influence of civic associations and exposure to ideological heterogeneity on public views on mask wearing and social distancing
  • Citing Article
  • May 2022

Preventive Medicine

... (3) Third, from a wider perspective, Stoecker and Witkovsky (2022) focus on rural areas relating civic engagement to the local-community-based support experience and development strategies by posing a double challenge for the sources of social behavior and social security: (a) the local civic potential in addition to organizational long-term perspective and (b) the COVID-19 social and health biases focusing an engagement-based relation to the social and community benefits. In this context, the research of Topazian et al. evidences the relationship between civic association participation and the social factors during COVID-19 (Topazian, Levine, McGinty, Barry, Han, 2022). ...

Civic engagement and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic

BMC Public Health

... This age pattern was also reported by McGinty et al. (2022), who analyzed data from the National Opinion Research Center's longitudinal study of over 1000 American adults surveyed online four times in 2020 and 2021, with the sample weighted to represent the demographics of the American population. Using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (four items on depressive symptoms and two on anxiety symptoms), they concluded that "serious psychological distress" was reported by 12 to 15 percent of the sample across the four time points, with no significant change from 2020 to 2021. ...

Trends in Psychological Distress Among US Adults During Different Phases of the COVID-19 Pandemic

JAMA Network Open

... Numerous research studies and polling efforts since 2020 have documented partisan and ideological differences in public support for governmental measures to mitigate the pandemic, such as restrictions on gatherings, business closures, vaccine mandates, and mask requirements (Barry et al. 2021;Gadarian, Goodman, and Pepinsky 2022), as well as in their support for the CDC's federal authority to act in health crises the authority of state health departments to implement policies to reduce the spread of an infectious disease?" Table 3 shows overall support and the distribution of support for state public health authority. ...

Change Over Time in Public Support for Social Distancing, Mask Wearing, and Contact Tracing to Combat the COVID-19 Pandemic Among US Adults, April to November 2020
  • Citing Article
  • March 2021

American Journal of Public Health

... The COVID-19 pandemic has elicited strong (shared) perceptions of risk, both about health and the economy, and these risk perceptions have been shown to influence a variety of social attitudes (24). Previous research has shown that experimentally manipulating threats to healthcare increased political liberalism (25) and that experiencing the loss of employment/health insurance was associated with support for UHC (26,27). ...

Public Support for Social Safety-Net Policies for COVID-19 in the United States, April 2020
  • Citing Article
  • December 2020

American Journal of Public Health

... Una revisión sistemática señaló como principales factores estresantes en la población general durante la pandemia, el riesgo de contagio, la cuarentena y aislamiento, la exclusión social y la crisis financiera e inseguridad laboral (Hamouche, 2020). Además, en universitarios y en padres de familia con hijos en edad escolar, la interrupción educativa fue considerada un estresor (McGinty et al., 2020). ...

Psychological Distress and COVID-19–Related Stressors Reported in a Longitudinal Cohort of US Adults in April and July 2020
  • Citing Article
  • November 2020

JAMA The Journal of the American Medical Association

... The pandemic led to rapid and significant rises in psychological distress and mental health concerns (Basu 2020). As the pandemic progressed, the fear and anxiety about the disease and various societal and personal factors, exacerbated existing mental illness of individuals (McGinty et al. 2020). The disease mitigating efforts and regulations such as social distancing and the lack of in-person events led to increased symptoms of anxiety, depression, and feelings of fear, abandonment, loneliness, and stigmatization (Miller 2020). ...

Psychological Distress and Loneliness Reported by US Adults in 2018 and April 2020
  • Citing Article
  • June 2020

JAMA The Journal of the American Medical Association