UCA Leads an International Study Identifying the Factors That Drove Health Polarization During the Pandemic

The study, published in Science Advances, synthesizes evidence from 90 international investigations and reveals how ideology, misinformation, and social inequality shaped responses to COVID-19

Researchers from the University of Cádiz, affiliated with the University Institute for Sustainable Social Development (INDESS), have published in Science Advances a pioneering study that offers an in-depth analysis of the causes of social polarization on health-related issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. The work, led by researcher María Camacho-García and conducted together with Maribel Serrano-Macías, Esther Ortega-Martín, and Javier Álvarez-Gálvez-head of the CS2 DataLab and director of INDESS-constitutes the first international systematic review dedicated to understanding this phenomenon.

Based on an integrated analysis of 90 scientific studies carried out in different countries, the research presents a global and comparative perspective on the mechanisms that intensified social and political divisions surrounding health matters. The authors identify six major determinants that explain why the pandemic generated not only a public health crisis, but also a crisis of trust and social cohesion.

Among these factors are the impact of political ideology and partisanship; the spread of misinformation and fake news; the role of social networks and their algorithmic dynamics; varying levels of trust in institutions and healthcare professionals; perceptions of risk related to both the disease and public policies; and several socioeconomic variables such as educational attainment, income, and place of residence. Together, these factors interacted to shape the adoption of preventive measures, acceptance of vaccines, and responses to recommendations issued by health authorities.

The study highlights that health polarization cannot be understood solely as a political phenomenon. The authors show how the combination of pre-existing social divides, economic inequalities, psychological dynamics, and the rapid dissemination of misleading content on social media created an environment in which distrust toward science and institutions grew significantly. This erosion of trust, they note, reduced the effectiveness of public policies and deepened health inequalities-with consequences that, in some contexts, were reflected in higher infection and mortality rates.

The researchers warn that these divisions may be as harmful to society as the virus itself, as they hinder collective coordination during future health emergencies. Understanding the mechanisms that fuel health polarization therefore becomes an essential step toward improving public communication, designing more inclusive strategies grounded in scientific evidence, and building a citizenry better equipped to confront misinformation.

The study also outlines practical implications for upcoming health crises. These include the need to strengthen digital and scientific literacy among the population, promote collaboration between the media and health authorities, and encourage messaging that transcends ideological divisions in order to rebuild social trust.

This research is part of the NETDYNAMIC project, funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MCIN/AEI) and the European Union through Next Generation EU/PRTR funds.

Bibliographic reference:
María Camacho-García, Maribel Serrano-Macías, Esther Ortega-Martín, and Javier Álvarez-Gálvez (2025): Drivers of health polarization during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review. Science Advances, Volume 11, Issue 46. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.ady5064o