Attitudes Towards COVID‐19 in Mexico: Between Religion and Politics
Bulletin of Latin American Research
Published online on March 10, 2026
Abstract
["Bulletin of Latin American Research, Volume 45, Issue 2, April 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nDrawing from recent literature on religion and pandemics, this study investigates how religious factors (vaccine scepticism, virus concern, restriction acceptance) and partisan divides (acceptance/rejection of government actions based on political leaders' rhetoric) shaped COVID‐19 attitudes in Mexico. I analyse a national online survey conducted in December 2020. Religiously, Catholics and Protestant/Evangelicals showed higher presidential trust and took fewer precautions; Protestants/Evangelicals also distrusted medical research. Politically, trust in the president reduced vaccination likelihood. These findings underscore the prominent role of politics over religion in shaping public attitudes during the pandemic, suggesting political cues were crucial in navigating the health crisis.\n"]