COVID-19 Changed Tastes for Safety-Net Programs

Alex Rees-Jones, John D'Attoma, Amedeo Piolatto and Luca Salvadori ()

No 27865, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: In June 2020, we surveyed 2,516 Americans regarding their preferences for both short- and long-term expansions to government-provided healthcare and unemployment insurance programs. We find that support for such programs is positively associated with (a) COVID-19 deaths and infections in the respondent’s county, (b) the pandemic-induced change in the unemployment rate in the respondent’s county, and (c) survey elicitations of the respondent’s perceptions of COVID-19’s consequences. These associations persist when controlling for pre-COVID-19 political ideology and demographics. These results suggest that real or perceived exposure to COVID-19’s consequences has influenced support for expansions to the U.S. safety-net system.

JEL-codes: H2 H5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hea and nep-ias
Note: EH LS PE
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (17)

Published as Rees-Jones, Alex & D’Attoma, John & Piolatto, Amedeo & Salvadori, Luca, 2022. "Experience of the COVID-19 pandemic and support for safety-net expansion," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 200(C), pages 1090-1104.

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Related works:
Journal Article: Experience of the COVID-19 pandemic and support for safety-net expansion (2022)
Working Paper: Experience of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Support for Safety-Net Expansion (2021)
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