The Christian Science Monitor article "Why has New England handled the pandemic so well? Thank the Puritans," was written during the first year of the COVID$-19$ pandemic. The piece posits that New Englanders' political culture may have been helpful in managing the pandemic response due to all of the following EXCEPT:

a tradition of participatory governance

increased public trust

resistance to extreme polarization

lack of strong anti$-$government sentiment

greater belief in science