Health authorities have highlighted “pandemic fatigue” as a psychological consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic and warned that “fatigue” could demotivate compliance with health-related policies and mandates. Yet, fatigue from following the policies of authorities may have consequences far beyond the health domain. Theories from the social sciences have raised that real and perceived costs of policies can also drive sentiments of discontent with the entire political establishment. Integrating theories from the health and social sciences, we ask how pandemic fatigue (i.e., perceived inability to “keep up” with restrictions) developed over the pandemic and whether it fueled political discontent. Utilizing longitudinal and panel surveys collected from September 2020 to July 2021 in eight Western countries (N = 49,116), we analyze: 1) fatigue over time at the country level, 2) associations between pandemic fatigue and discontent, and 3) the effect of pandemic fatigue on political discontent using panel data. Pandemic fatigue significantly increased with time and the severity of interventions but also decreased with COVID-19 deaths. When triggered, fatigue elicited a broad range of discontent, including protest support and conspiratorial thinking. The results demonstrate the significant societal impact of the pandemic beyond the domain of health and raise concerns about the stability of democratic societies, which were already strained by strife prior to the pandemic.

The political discontent triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic – including public protesting and the airing of anti-elite sentiments – is reminiscent of discontent often associated with populism. Research on populism has highlighted a sense of vulnerability and loss of control as drives of populism. Similarly, health authorities and researchers have highlighted “pandemic fatigue” as a central psychological consequence of the pandemic, which may fuel political discontent. On this basis, we ask how pandemic fatigue developed over the course of the pandemic and whether it fueled populist sentiments. Utilizing longitudinal and panel surveys collected from September 2020 to July 2021 in eight Western democracies, we analyze: (1) fatigue over time at the country level, (2) associations between pandemic fatigue and discontent, and (3) the effect of pandemic fatigue on political discontent using panel data. We find that pandemic fatigue significantly increases with time and the severity of lockdowns but also decreases with COVID-19 deaths. When triggered, fatigue elicits a broad range of discontent, including protest support and conspiratorial thinking. The results demonstrate the importance of distress for the activation of populism and discontent. As discussed, the results also highlight a need for distinguishing between aggressive and submissive aspects of populism.