There are, in my view, four key factors in why many Americans have taken COVID precautions less seriously than many purport to want. They don't fit one political narrative very nicely.

(1) Long term shutdowns aren't possible anywhere. Nowhere, i stress nowhere, has had compliant long term shut downs. You think people aren't hitting up cafes in Italy? Even mask compliance isn't worse in the US than in peer countries.

(2) Trump. The president downplaying the virus has certainly been unhelpful.

(3) The pro lockdown elite (press, politicians, most people you know). The pro "science" team has been plagued by its utter untrustworthiness. Huge swings on "flu is worse" and mask discourse early set the stage. Histrionic granny killer rhetoric didn't help. Politicians breaking

the rules? Bad for sure. Rules seem biased against religion, not great. But, big breaking point, after a month of calling rule breakers granny killers, the moral imperative was suspended for weeks for a favored political cause with nonstop celebration. No coming back from that.

(4) Unclear goals and exit plan. Was it about flattening the curve? We did that. About minimizing death / long term illness throughout? I'm all for that but lockdown for that was never pitched in earnest, we backed into it. And now people keep talking about post vaccine lockdown

continuing? Obviously not gonna happen but even the talk hurts compliance. If you ask a lot you need to be clear what you are asking and how it ends. We haven't been.

Honestly both parties, our political culture, the press, it's all done badly. No simple story here except dysfunction. But again we didn't do much worse than peers in actions (though we should aim to do better) and a lot is yet unknown on where things end up on outcomes.