Denialism and economic insecurity as motivators of resistance to Lockdown in Brazil during COVID-19 Pandemic

Supplementary information from above mentionedObjective: To explore brazilians’ positioning about the lockdown in the COVID-19 pandemic in association with individual, social and economic factors, searching for clusters that explain divergence on positioning in favor or against the lockdown measure. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study based on a survey to understand the profile of Brazilians’ opinion and their driving factors. We used an online questionnaire, which contained objective questions on socio-demographic aspects and individual views regarding the Pandemic. The sampling was on demand, through social networks. The analysis was performed using clusterization. Results: Between between April and May 2021, we collected 33,796 free participations via social media throughout the country; 33,363 of those were analyzed. The pro-lockdown opinion was most prevalent in almost all socio-demographic strata. Two groups were identified in the study populations, here referred to as Pro-Lockdown – aligned with scientific recommendations – and Anti-Lockdown – economic insecurity and denialism. Those who are anti-lockdown downplay the severity of the pandemic and believe in unproven measures. However, they are afraid to lose their jobs and not afford to pay their bills. Overall, people do not believe in the feasibility of a lockdown in Brazil or in the efficacy of measures taken by the government. As an important study bias, there was a small participation of low-income people and lower participation of men, who are mostly anti-lockdown. Conclusion: Despite the prevalence of pro-lockdown positioning, there are no consensus in Brazil about the measure. The emerging clusters makes it clear that beyond denialism, economic insecurity occupies a central position in the anti-lockdown view. manuscript

本研究补充资料：研究目的：探讨巴西民众在新冠疫情期间对封控措施的态度，并结合个体、社会与经济因素，剖析支持与反对封控措施的态度分化背后的聚类特征。方法：本研究基于横断面研究（cross-sectional study），旨在解析巴西民众的态度特征及其影响因素。研究采用在线问卷，内容涵盖社会人口学特征（socio-demographic aspects）相关客观问题以及民众对新冠疫情的个人看法。抽样通过社交媒体开展，为便利抽样。数据分析采用聚类分析（clusterization）方法。结果：2021年4月至5月期间，研究团队通过全国范围内的社交媒体收集到33796份自愿参与的问卷，其中33363份纳入最终分析。在几乎所有社会人口学分层（socio-demographic strata）中，支持封控的态度均占主流。研究人群可被划分为两个组别："支持封控组"——契合科学防疫建议；"反对封控组"——兼具经济不安全感与疫情否认态度（denialism）。反对封控的人群往往低估新冠疫情的严重程度，且轻信未经证实的防疫措施；同时，他们普遍担忧失业，无力支付日常账单。总体而言，巴西民众普遍认为封控措施不具备可行性，且不信任政府防疫举措的有效性。本研究存在一项重要偏倚：低收入群体参与度较低，而多数持反对封控态度的男性群体参与度同样偏低。结论：尽管支持封控的态度占据主流，但巴西国内尚未就封控措施形成广泛共识。本次研究识别出的聚类特征表明，除疫情否认主义外，经济不安全感在反对封控群体的态度形成中占据核心地位。手稿