Abstract
Research suggests that opposition to COVID-19 mitigation strategies and mandates has been notable among young adults, especially those who are conservative. The current political climate, through which young adults have developed their political beliefs, has combined conservative values of limited government with pronounced anti-institutional sentiments, thus predisposing today’s younger conservatives to greater skepticism. Young white adults are also experiencing a growing salience in their own racial identities—an experience different from prior generations. No known research has connected these observations by examining the interplay between white identity and conservatism and their impact on support for and adherence to COVID-19 mitigation strategies. Drawing on survey data from a national U.S. sample of white young adults, we examine how two white identity constructs (racial identity and racial identity verification) influence how conservatism impacts resistance to six COVID-19 mitigation outcomes (i.e., vaccination status, masking behavior, support for vaccinations, support for masking, support for vaccination mandates, and support for masking mandates). White racial identity indirectly decreased support for and adherence to all COVID-19 mitigation outcomes by enhancing levels of conservatism. In addition, racial identity verification enhanced the negative effects of conservatism with most of the COVID-19 mitigation outcomes. We discuss these findings within the context of the literature on COVID-19 attitudes and racial identity.