Fatalism, beliefs, and behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic

Jesper Akesson (), Sam Ashworth-Hayes, Robert Hahn, Robert Metcalfe () and Itzhak Rasooly
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Jesper Akesson: The Behaviouralist
Sam Ashworth-Hayes: The Behaviouralist
Robert Hahn: University of Oxford and Technology Policy Institute
Itzhak Rasooly: University of Oxford

Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, 2022, vol. 64, issue 2, No 2, 147-190

Abstract: Abstract Little is known about how people’s beliefs concerning the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) influence their behavior. To shed light on this, we conduct an online experiment ( $$n = 3,610$$ n = 3 , 610 ) with US and UK residents. Participants are randomly allocated to a control group or to one of two treatment groups. The treatment groups are shown upper- or lower-bound expert estimates of the infectiousness of the virus. We present three main empirical findings. First, individuals dramatically overestimate the dangerousness and infectiousness of COVID-19 relative to expert opinion. Second, providing people with expert information partially corrects their beliefs about the virus. Third, the more infectious people believe that COVID-19 is, the less willing they are to take protective measures, a finding we dub the “fatalism effect”. We develop a formal model that can explain the fatalism effect and discuss its implications for optimal policy during the pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; Beliefs; Online experiment; Fatalism; I12; C26; D91 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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Working Paper: Fatalism, Beliefs, and Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic (2020)
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DOI: 10.1007/s11166-022-09375-y

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