Anti, hostile, and alternative: an exploration of anti-elite attitudes, hostile-media perceptions, and alternative media use in the context of opposition to Covid-19 measures

During the Covid-19 pandemic, significant parts of the population deliberately opposed prevention measures as an expression of protest. In this study, I investigated the role of anti-elite attitudes (‘we’, the people, vs. ‘they’, the elite) in the context of opposition behavior, considering anti-elite attitudes towards politics, science, and media. Drawing from social identity theory, I examined how such anti-elite attitudes correlated with hostile media perceptions, alternative media use, and opposition to Covid-19 measures. To this end, I used data of a cross-sectional survey in the German-speaking part of Switzerland (N = 1011) in spring 2023. The results suggest that stronger anti-elite attitudes were associated with stronger hostile perceptions of legacy news media, a higher likelihood of consuming alternative news media, and stronger opposition to prevention measures. This study contributes to an understanding of how anti-elite attitudes influence public dissent during crises. The findings emphasize the importance of addressing polarized perceptions to foster collective action in response to global challenges, like pandemics and climate change.