Close kin influence COVID-19 precautionary behaviors and vaccine acceptance of older individuals

Bruno Arpino, Valeria Bordone () and Giorgio Di Gessa ()
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Valeria Bordone: University of Vienna
Giorgio Di Gessa: University College London

No 2022_02, Econometrics Working Papers Archive from Universita' degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Statistica, Informatica, Applicazioni "G. Parenti"

Abstract: The family plays a central role in shaping health behaviors of its members through social control and support mechanisms. We investigate whether and to what extent close kin (i.e., partner and children) have mattered for older people in taking on precautionary behaviors (e.g., physical distancing) and vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe. Drawing on data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), we combine its Corona Surveys (June-August 2020 and June-August 2021) with pre-COVID information (October 2019-March2020). We find that having close kin (especially a partner) is associated with a higher probability of both adopting precautionary behaviors and accepting a COVID-19 vaccine. Results are robust to controlling for other potential drivers of precautionary behaviors and vaccine acceptance, as well as to accounting for co-residence with kin. Our findings suggest that policy makers and practitioners may differently address kinless individuals when promoting public policy measures.

Keywords: COVID-19; Coronavirus; Parenthood; Partnership; Precautionary behaviors; SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 66 pages
Date: 2022-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-age, nep-dem, nep-eur and nep-hea
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