Global Behaviors and Perceptions at the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

We thank our many volunteer translators, whose names are listed in the Appendix. We also thank Prolific for sponsoring the participants for the survey experiment and Aristeo Marras for data advice. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Bureau of Economic Research. NBER working papers are circulated for discussion and comment purposes. They have not been peer-reviewed or been subject to the review by the NBER Board of Directors that accompanies official NBER publications.

Extraversion Moderates the Relationship Between the Stringency of COVID-19 Protective Measures and Depressive Symptoms

“…In this study, we utilized Fetzer et al’s (2020) data. They used online snowball sampling to recruit respondents in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 20–April 6, 2020), a period in which the pandemic spread rapidly, and many consequential policy decisions were made.…”

“…Recent research during the early stages of the pandemic suggests that stringent measures also function as safeguard of mental health; they cause citizens to worry less and feel safer ( Fetzer et al, 2020 ). This does not mean that protective measures bring nothing but benefits.…”

“…The first empirical tests based on data collected during the pandemic are inconclusive, with studies reporting negative ( Płomecka et al, 2020 ), positive ( Folk et al, 2020 ), or insignificant ( Elmer et al, 2020 ; Weinstein and Nguyen, 2020 ) associations between extraversion and mental illness. In this study, drawing on publicly available survey data from over 90,000 respondents across 47 countries ( Fetzer et al, 2020 ), we therefore empirically test the hypothesis that extraversion moderates the relationship between measure stringency and depressive symptoms. By looking at moderation effects, we aimed to further nuance Fetzer et al’s (2020) finding that measure stringency leads to reduced depressive symptoms.…”

“…In this study, drawing on publicly available survey data from over 90,000 respondents across 47 countries ( Fetzer et al, 2020 ), we therefore empirically test the hypothesis that extraversion moderates the relationship between measure stringency and depressive symptoms. By looking at moderation effects, we aimed to further nuance Fetzer et al’s (2020) finding that measure stringency leads to reduced depressive symptoms. We also address a general calls for research on the mental health effects of COVID-19 protective measures ( Holmes et al, 2020 ; Van Bavel et al, 2020 ) and more specific calls for investigations on the interplay between personality, the experience of social distancing and mental health ( Folk et al, 2020 ; Oosterhoff et al, 2020 ).…”

Accounting for Global COVID-19 Diffusion Patterns, January-April 2020

“…The findings are consistent with case studies on the association between social networks and COVID-19 infection. Kuchler, Russel, and Stroebel (2020) find in Facebook data that areas with stronger social ties to two early COVID-19 Fetzer et al (2020) find that the perception of a weak government and public response is associated with higher levels of worries and depression, and those strong government reactions correct misperceptions and reduce worries and depression. Our findings on the association between trust, the stringency index, and mortality from COVID-19 yield consistent messages along this line.…”