The Effectiveness of Leaders' Public Communication During Covid-19

Vincenzo Galasso and Carlotta Varriale

No 21162, BAFFI CAREFIN Working Papers from BAFFI CAREFIN, Centre for Applied Research on International Markets Banking Finance and Regulation, Universita' Bocconi, Milano, Italy

Abstract: During health emergencies and economic crises, country leaders make extensive use of direct communication to inform citizens and encourage compliance. We use real-time survey data to assess the effectiveness of an unexpected broadcast speech on economic aid measures delivered by the Prime Minister in Italy – a country shocked early and hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. We adopt a quasi-natural experimental design by comparing the responses of individuals who answered the survey before and after the live speech. The leader's communication was effective in improving respondents' opinions on the handling of the economic crisis and in reducing feelings of anger, whereas it had no impact on government trust or satisfaction. The effect was particularly strong among men, but not among the likely beneficiaries of the economic aids. These findings suggest that mortality cues and war narrative were more effective than the provision of detailed information about the economic aids recipients.

Keywords: Public communication; COVID-19; crisis management; citizens perceptions; exogenous shock (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 34
Date: 2021
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