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  • November 3, 2020
  • Article
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Gender Differences in COVID-19 Attitudes and Behavior: Panel Evidence from Eight Countries

By: Vincenzo Galasso, Vincent Pons, Paola Profeta, Michael Becher, Sylvain Brouard and Martial Foucault
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Abstract

Using original data from two waves of a survey conducted in March and April 2020 in eight OECD countries (N = 21,649), we show that women are more likely to see COVID-19 as a very serious health problem, to agree with restraining public policy measures adopted in response to it,and to comply with them. Gender differences in attitudes and behavior are substantial in all countries, robust to controlling for a large set of sociodemographic, employment, psychological, and behavioral factors, and only partially mitigated for individuals who cohabit or have direct exposure to COVID-19. The results are not driven by differential social desirability bias. They carry important implications for the spread of the pandemic and may contribute to explain gender differences in vulnerability to it.

Keywords

COVID-19; Health Pandemics; Attitudes; Behavior; Gender; Policy; Governance Compliance

Citation

Galasso, Vincenzo, Vincent Pons, Paola Profeta, Michael Becher, Sylvain Brouard, and Martial Foucault. "Gender Differences in COVID-19 Attitudes and Behavior: Panel Evidence from Eight Countries." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117, no. 44 (November 3, 2020).
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About The Author

Vincent Pons

Business, Government and the International Economy
→More Publications

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More from the Authors
  • Small Campaign Donors By: Laurent Bouton, Julia Cagé, Edgard Dewitte and Vincent Pons
  • Does Context Outweigh Individual Characteristics in Driving Voting Behavior? Evidence from Relocations within the U.S. By: Enrico Cantoni and Vincent Pons
  • Can a Website Bring Unemployment Down? Experimental Evidence from France By: Aïcha Ben Dhia, Bruno Crépon, Esther Mbih, Louise Paul-Delvaux, Bertille Picard and Vincent Pons
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