Working Paper: NBER ID: w27378
Authors: Nicholas W. Papageorge; Matthew V. Zahn; Michele Belot; Eline van den Broek-Altenburg; Syngjoo Choi; Julian C. Jamison; Egon Tripodi
Abstract: Disease spread is in part a function of individual behavior. We examine the factors predicting individual behavior during the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States using novel data collected by Belot et al. (2020). Among other factors, we show that people with lower income, less flexible work arrangements (e.g., an inability to tele-work) and lack of outside space at home are less likely to engage in behaviors, such as social distancing, that limit the spread of disease. We also find evidence that region, gender and beliefs predict behavior. Broadly, our findings align with typical relationships between health and socio-economic status. Moreover, they suggest that the burden of measures designed to stem the pandemic are unevenly distributed across socio-demographic groups in ways that affect behavior and thus potentially the spread of illness. Policies that assume otherwise are unlikely to be effective or sustainable.
Keywords: COVID-19; sociodemographic factors; self-protecting behavior; public health; income
JEL Codes: I1
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Higher income (D31) | Increased self-protective behaviors (D91) |
| Lower income (D31) | Reduced self-protective behaviors (D91) |
| Beliefs about effectiveness of social distancing (C92) | Increased protective behaviors (D18) |
| Lower income (D31) | Job losses (J63) |
| Job losses (J63) | Reduced self-protective behaviors (D91) |
| Less access to teleworking options (J29) | Reduced self-protective behaviors (D91) |
| Higher income (D31) | Greater engagement in protective behaviors (D18) |