Apparently, People Who Earn More Money Are More Likely to Have Coronavirus Anxiety
How much do you fear COVID-19? Before you answer, think about how much you earn because, apparently, it has something to do with your level of concern is—among other things.
A new study by drug and alcohol rehabilitation center The Recovery Village says different demographic groups also viewed coronavirus differently in their own ways. Women, for instance, were more likely to have anxiety about the virus. (As evidence by the fact that men were less likely to wear masks.)
Your political stance also comes into play. Liberals were also more anxious about COVID-19. But, perhaps the most interesting factor is income. "There has been some conflicting evidence regarding the association between income and anxiety as it relates to the COVID-19 pandemic,” says The Recovery Village's Stacey Henson.
She continues, "One study by a team of researchers at the University of Minnesota found that high education and high income, the two defining features of socio-economic status (SES), were associated with greater declines in psychological well-being over the course of the pandemic. Another study by a group of Polish researchers found income to be unrelated to COVID-19 anxiety. Our research adds another data point to this important and ongoing thread of scientific inquiry."
68 percent of individuals that make less than $50,000 (approximately P2.5 million) had heightened levels of anxiety because of the pandemic. 78 percent of people that make between $50,000 and $100,000 (approximately P5 million) also had almost the same levels. While 87 percent of those that make more than $100,000 had even higher levels of anxiety.
Researchers are pretty puzzled, too—especially considering that low-income individuals and minority groups are at greater risk of the virus. One reason the researchers have pointed to is the fact that high-income individuals absorbed more news related to coronavirus.
Then again, Asians were also shown to have more fear than their neighbors about the virus.
