Economic knowledge, political views, and Covid-19 related behaviors

Grace Onodipe (), Amanda Wilsker () and Mark Partridge ()
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Grace Onodipe: Georgia Gwinnett College
Amanda Wilsker: Georgia Gwinnett College
Mark Partridge: Georgia Gwinnett College

Economics Bulletin, 2022, vol. 42, issue 2, 895 - 906

Abstract: Economic knowledge is key for an informed society, with previous studies finding a relationship between such knowledge and policy preferences. Most studies find a positive relationship between economic knowledge and more conservative viewpoints with one recent exception, whereby increased economic knowledge was associated with stronger opinions on both sides. Here, we explore the relationship between economic knowledge and reactions to COVID-19 precautions. We perform ordered logistic regression analysis on data collected from 246 college students and find that individuals identifying as Republican were strongly associated with practicing social distancing relative to Independents, although this effect decreases significantly with increase in TEL (Test of Economic Literacy) scores. For Democrats, however, higher scores on the Test of Economic Literacy are associated with more positive responses to CDC recommendations. Our results indicate that a statistically significant relationship exists between economic knowledge and views of COVID-19, but this relationship is a function of political preferences.

Keywords: economic knowledge; COVID-19 pandemic behaviors; Test of Economic Literacy; political party (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A2 I1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022-06-30
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