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Altruism and the link to pro-social pandemic behavior
Orientador(es)
Resumo(s)
In the Corona pandemic, especially in the phase before vaccines were available, people's risk of infection with COVID-19 was dependent on the adherence to pandemic behaviors (e. g., wearing masks) of others around them. To explore whether altruistic individuals are more likely to engage in pro-social behaviors to protect others during the pandemic, we use data from the European COVID Survey (ECOS). The data was collected in September 2020 and consisted of a representative sample from seven European countries (N = 7,025). Altruism was measured as a deviation from purely self-interested behavior by asking respondents how much they would be willing to donate from an unexpected gain to the equivalent of 1000€. Respondents who were willing to donate more than 0 Euros (68.7%) were treated as altruistic; on average, respondents were willing to donate 11.7% (SD 17.9) of the gain. Controlling for country, sociodemographics, general risk aversion and COVID-specific risk aversion, we find that individuals classified as altruistic were more likely to behave pro-socially. More specifically, we find that altruistic respondents were more likely to wait at home for test results and wear a mask where it is recommended. They would also stay about 1 day longer under quarantine without symptoms after visiting a high-risk country and were less likely to go to a supermarket with COVID symptoms. We find no significant effect for wearing a mask in places where it is mandatory and for inviting more than six people into the house. Furthermore, we find that the subjective risk assessment of COVID-19 also plays a role in these behaviors. Our results support evidence from the literature that suggests that adherence to pro-social pandemic behaviors may be increased if public health officials emphasize the altruistic nature of these behaviors.
Descrição
Funding Information: This project received funding from the Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme of the European Union through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No. 721402 and was further funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) funds from the Excellence Strategy of the University of Hamburg and other participating universities. Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2022 Neumann-Böhme, Sabat and Attema.
Palavras-chave
altruism behavior behavioral economics COVID-19 health economics risk perceptions General Medicine SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being