Lives or Livelihoods? Perceived Trade-offs and Policy Views
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We study the role of perceived trade-offs between human lives and economic benefits in shaping policy views. In an online experiment with a representative sample from the US conducted during the early Covid-19 pandemic, we provide randomized information on the medium-run costs of restricting economic activity to mitigate infections. A one standard deviation lower perceived economic cost of lockdowns increases support by about twice as much as having a Covid at-risk condition, and by half as much as being a Democrat. Varying projected health benefits has a similar effect. Personal exposure to health risks reduces people's responsiveness to cost-benefit considerations.
Original language | English |
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Journal | The Economic Journal |
Volume | 132 |
Issue number | 643 |
Pages (from-to) | 1150-1178 |
Number of pages | 29 |
ISSN | 0013-0133 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Apr 2022 |
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ID: 287692685