Working Paper: NBER ID: w27359
Authors: Vincenzo Galasso; Vincent Pons; Paola Profeta; Michael Becher; Sylvain Brouard; Martial Foucault
Abstract: Using original data from two waves of a survey conducted in March and April 2020 in eight OECD countries (N = 21,649), we show that women are more likely to see COVID-19 as a very serious health problem, to agree with restraining public policy measures adopted in response to it, and to comply with them. Gender differences in attitudes and behavior are substantial in all countries, robust to controlling for a large set of sociodemographic, employment, psychological, and behavioral factors, and only partially mitigated for individuals who cohabit or have direct exposure to COVID-19. The results are not driven by differential social desirability bias. They carry important implications for the spread of the pandemic and may contribute to explain gender differences in vulnerability to it.
Keywords: COVID-19; gender differences; public health; compliance; attitudes
JEL Codes: D70; D83; I12; I18
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Gender (female dummy) (J16) | Perceived seriousness of COVID-19 (E71) |
| Gender (female dummy) (J16) | Agreement with public policy measures (J48) |
| Gender (female dummy) (J16) | Compliance with public health measures (I18) |