Risk perceptions and politics: Evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Barrios, John M.; Hochberg, Yael, V
• 署名单位: Washington University (WUSTL); National Bureau of Economic Research; Rice University
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF FINANCIAL ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0304-405X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jfineco.2021.05.039
• 发表日期: 2021
• 页码: 862-879
• 关键词: risk perceptions; expectations; Covid-19; Political partisanship; polarization; Pandemics; Social distancing and compliance

摘要

Politics may color interpretations of facts, and thus perceptions of risk. We find that a higher share of Trump voters in a county is associated with lower perceptions of risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. Controlling for COVID-19 case counts and deaths, as Trump's vote share rises in the local area, individuals search less for information on the virus and its potential economic impacts, and engage in fewer visits to non-essential businesses. Our results suggest that politics and the media may play an important role in determining the formation of risk perceptions, and may therefore affect both economic and health-related reactions to unanticipated health crises. (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.