Author 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 explaining gender differences in vulnerability to it.
Paper Information
- Full Working Paper Text
- Working Paper Publication Date: June 2020
- HBS Working Paper Number: NBER Working Paper Series, No. 27359
- Faculty Unit(s): Business, Government and International Economy
