Abstract
Governmental mandates requiring mask wearing in public spaces to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus have been controversial in the United States. We test theory related to anger and anger expression in the context of posts about masks appearing on Twitter during a 12-week period in which mask mandates were adopted in 18 states. The results were consistent with an appraisal of mandates as providing protection from harm. Pro-mask anger directed at others for not wearing masks increased following the imposition of mandates among tweets originating from states with a mandate. In states without a mandate, pro-mask anger similarly increased over time as additional state mandates were adopted across the country.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 539-557 |
Number of pages | 19 |
Journal | Communication Monographs |
Volume | 89 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2022 |
Keywords
- Anger
- COVID-19
- health communication
- mask
- mask mandates
- moral emotions
- psychological reactance theory
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Communication
- Language and Linguistics