More than Words: Leaders' Speech and Risky Behavior during a Pandemic

Nicolás Ajzenman, Tiago Cavalcanti and Daniel Da Mata

American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 2023, vol. 15, issue 3, 351-71

Abstract: This paper investigates whether the anti-scientific rhetoric of modern populists can induce followers to engage in risky behavior. We gather electoral information, credit card expenses, and geo-localized mobile phone data for approximately 60 million devices in Brazil. After the president publicly dismissed the risks of the COVID-19 pandemic and challenged scientific recommendations, social distancing in pro-government localities declined. Consistently, credit card expenses increased immediately. Results are driven by localities with higher media penetration levels, active Twitter accounts, and a larger proportion of evangelical Christians, a critical electoral group.

JEL-codes: D72 D91 I12 I18 L82 O15 Z12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Related works:
Working Paper: More than words: Leader’s speech and risky behavior during a pandemic (2021)
Working Paper: More than Words: Leaders' Speech and Risky Behavior During a Pandemic (2021)
Working Paper: More than Words: Leaders' Speech and Risky Behavior During a Pandemic (2020)
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DOI: 10.1257/pol.20210284

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