Politics & Prevention: How Party Affiliation Impacts COVID-19 Compliance

Introduction: Studies suggest that the precautions people take to protect themselves against COVID-19 may vary due to their political party affiliation. This study aims to understand whether political party affiliation has influence on the behavior of college students and their compliance with COVID-19 policies as set by the CDC. Materials and Methods: A causal comparative approach was utilized. A multivariate analysis of variance was conducted. The independent variable was political party affiliation. The dependent variables were whether or not one agrees that the vaccine protects against the Omicron variant, that COVID is spread through direct contact, that handwashing is important, that skin contact should be avoided, that contact with infected individuals should be minimized, and that one would isolate should they have symptoms. Results: This study resulted in two statistically significant findings. (1) The proportion of students (83.7%) who feel that the vaccines offer protection against the Omicron variant of COVID-19 (p Discussion: The results show that liberals were most likely to feel that the vaccine offered protection as well as to self isolate should they have exposure to COVID-19 or any other symptoms. Conclusion: Liberals may have greater roles in preventing the spread of COVID-19 as they have shown to take greater preventative measures