Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP14631
Authors: Thiemo Fetzer; Marc Witte; Lukas Hensel; Jon M. Jachimowicz; Johannes Haushofer; Andriy Ivchenko; Stefano Caria; Elena Reutskaja; Christopher Roth; Stefano Fiorin; Margarita Gomez; Gordon Kraft-Todd; Friedrich Goetz; Erez Yoeli
Abstract: We conducted a large-scale survey covering 58 countries and over 100,000 respondents between late March and early April 2020 to study beliefs and attitudes towards citizens’ and governments’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most respondents reacted strongly to the crisis: they report engaging in social distancing and hygiene behaviors, and believe that strong policy measures, such as shop closures and curfews, are necessary. They also believe that their government and their country’s citizens are not doing enough and under- estimate the degree to which others in their country support strong behavioral and policy responses to the pandemic. The perception of a weak government and public response is associated with higher levels of worries and depression. Using both cross-country panel data and an event-study, we additionally show that strong government reactions correct misperceptions, and reduce worries and depression. Our findings highlight that policy-makers not only need to consider how their decisions affect the spread of COVID-19, but also how such choices influence the mental health of their population.
Keywords: COVID-19; perceptions; government response; social distancing; mental health
JEL Codes: No JEL codes provided
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| perceptions of a weak government response (H12) | higher levels of worries (I31) |
| perceptions of a weak government response (H12) | higher levels of depression (I12) |
| belief that government and fellow citizens are not doing enough (H10) | higher levels of worries (I31) |
| belief that government and fellow citizens are not doing enough (H10) | higher levels of depression (I12) |
| strong government reactions (H12) | correct misperceptions about public attitudes (D72) |
| strong government reactions (H12) | reduce worries (I31) |
| strong government reactions (H12) | reduce depression (E71) |
| imposition of stricter restrictions (F38) | increase in perceived appropriateness of government action (H11) |