IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/beh/jbepv1/v6y2022i1p11-20.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Optimism Bias and Perceptions of Behavioral Factors for Preventing Severe COVID-19 Complications

Author

Listed:
  • Erica Freer

    (College of Humanities, Arts Behavioral and Social Sciences, California State University, San Marcos)

  • Quinn Keefer

    (College of Humanities, Arts Behavioral and Social Sciences, California State University, San Marcos)

Abstract

We examine the presence of optimism bias in individuals' perceptions of factors associated with preventing severe complications from COVID-19. Consistent with optimism bias, we find for several factors, that engaging in a behavior is associated with viewing it as more influential for preventing illness severity. Specifically, we find that individuals who exercise more, eat healthier, and take dietary supplements rate these behaviors as more important for preventing severe complications from COVID-19.

Suggested Citation

  • Erica Freer & Quinn Keefer, 2022. "Optimism Bias and Perceptions of Behavioral Factors for Preventing Severe COVID-19 Complications," Journal of Behavioral Economics for Policy, Society for the Advancement of Behavioral Economics (SABE), vol. 6(1), pages 11-20, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:beh:jbepv1:v:6:y:2022:i:1:p:11-20
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://sabeconomics.org/journal/RePEc/beh/JBEPv1/articles/JBEP-6-1-1.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ozili, Peterson K, 2020. "COVID-19 in Africa: socioeconomic impact, policy response and opportunities," MPRA Paper 99617, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Thaler, Richard H & Shefrin, H M, 1981. "An Economic Theory of Self-Control," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 89(2), pages 392-406, April.
    3. Xavier Giné & Dean Karlan & Jonathan Zinman, 2010. "Put Your Money Where Your Butt Is: A Commitment Contract for Smoking Cessation," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 2(4), pages 213-235, October.
    4. Nicola Lacetera & Devin G. Pope & Justin R. Sydnor, 2012. "Heuristic Thinking and Limited Attention in the Car Market," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 102(5), pages 2206-2236, August.
    5. Amory Martin & Maryia Markhvida & Stéphane Hallegatte & Brian Walsh, 2020. "Socio-Economic Impacts of COVID-19 on Household Consumption and Poverty," Economics of Disasters and Climate Change, Springer, vol. 4(3), pages 453-479, October.
    6. Marco Alifano & Giuseppe Attanasi & Fabio Iannelli & Faredj Cherikh & Antonio Iannelli, 2020. "COVID-19 pandemic: a European perspective on health economic policies," Journal of Behavioral Economics for Policy, Society for the Advancement of Behavioral Economics (SABE), vol. 4(S), pages 35-43, June.
    7. Jay Bhattacharya & Alan M. Garber & Jeremy D. Goldhaber-Fiebert, 2015. "Nudges in Exercise Commitment Contracts: A Randomized Trial," NBER Working Papers 21406, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Michelle Baddeley, 2020. "Hoarding in the age of COVID-19," Journal of Behavioral Economics for Policy, Society for the Advancement of Behavioral Economics (SABE), vol. 4(S), pages 69-75, June.
    9. Ananda Ganguly & Joshua Tasoff, 2017. "Fantasy and Dread: The Demand for Information and the Consumption Utility of the Future," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 63(12), pages 4037-4060, December.
    10. Julie S. Downs & George Loewenstein & Jessica Wisdom, 2009. "Strategies for Promoting Healthier Food Choices," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 99(2), pages 159-164, May.
    11. Victor Stango & Jonathan Zinman, 2009. "Exponential Growth Bias and Household Finance," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 64(6), pages 2807-2849, December.
    12. K. Karunathilake, 2021. "Positive and negative impacts of COVID-19, an analysis with special reference to challenges on the supply chain in South Asian countries," Journal of Social and Economic Development, Springer;Institute for Social and Economic Change, vol. 23(3), pages 568-581, December.
    13. Elena Druică & Fabio Musso & Rodica Ianole-Călin, 2020. "Optimism Bias during the Covid-19 Pandemic: Empirical Evidence from Romania and Italy," Games, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-15, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Xavier Gabaix, 2017. "Behavioral Inattention," NBER Working Papers 24096, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Sandra Carvalho & Catarina G. Coelho & Bruno Kluwe-Schiavon & Juliana Magalhães & Jorge Leite, 2022. "The Acute Impact of the Early Stages of COVID-19 Pandemic in People with Pre-Existing Psychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-36, April.
    3. Itzik Fadlon & Torben Heien Nielsen, 2019. "Family Health Behaviors," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 109(9), pages 3162-3191, September.
    4. Manthri Savani, Manu, 2019. "Can commitment contracts boost participation in public health programmes?," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    5. Zarko Kalamov & Marco Runkel, 2020. "Present-Focused Preferences and Sin Goods Consumption at the Extensive and Intensive Margins," CESifo Working Paper Series 8237, CESifo.
    6. Sandro Ambuehl & B. Douglas Bernheim & Annamaria Lusardi, 2022. "Evaluating Deliberative Competence: A Simple Method with an Application to Financial Choice," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 112(11), pages 3584-3626, November.
    7. Griffith, Rachel & O'Connell, Martin & Smith, Kate & Cherchye, Laurens & De Rock, Bram & Vermeulen, Frederic, 2017. "A new year, a new you? Heterogeneity and self-control in food purchases," CEPR Discussion Papers 12499, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    8. Kirchgässner, Gebhard, 2012. "Sanfter Paternalismus, meritorische Güter, und der normative Individualismus," Economics Working Paper Series 1217, University of St. Gallen, School of Economics and Political Science.
    9. Paul Bettega & Paolo Crosetto & Dimitri Dubois & Rustam Romaniuc, 2023. "Hard vs. soft commitments: Experimental evidence from a sample of French gamblers," Working Papers 2023-05, Grenoble Applied Economics Laboratory (GAEL).
    10. Ariel Kalil & Susan Mayer & Rohen Shah, 2023. "Scarcity and Inattention," Journal of Behavioral Economics for Policy, Society for the Advancement of Behavioral Economics (SABE), vol. 7(1), pages 35-42, November.
    11. Uhr, Charline & Meyer, Steffen & Hackethal, Andreas, 2021. "Smoking hot portfolios? Trading behavior, investment biases, and self-control failure," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 73-95.
    12. Bronson Argyle & Taylor D. Nadauld & Christopher Palmer, 2019. "Monthly Payment Targeting and the Demand for Maturity," NBER Working Papers 25668, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    13. Ubfal, Diego, 2016. "How general are time preferences? Eliciting good-specific discount rates," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 150-170.
    14. Dean Karlan & Aishwarya Lakshmi Ratan & Jonathan Zinman, 2014. "Savings by and for the Poor: A Research Review and Agenda," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 60(1), pages 36-78, March.
    15. Saadia Narjis & Muhammad Rizwan Yaseen & Sofia Anwar & Muhammad Sohail Amjad Makhdoom, 2022. "The Socio-Economic Impact of COVID-19 on Households in Punjab, Pakistan," Journal of Economic Impact, Science Impact Publishers, vol. 4(3), pages 218-232.
    16. Haiyang Yang & Ziv Carmon & Barbara Kahn & Anup Malani & Janet Schwartz & Kevin Volpp & Brian Wansink, 2012. "The Hot–Cold Decision Triangle: A framework for healthier choices," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 23(2), pages 457-472, June.
    17. Jonathan DE QUIDT & Maitreesh GHATAK, 2018. "Is The Credit Worth It? For-Profit Lenders In Microfinance With Rational And Behavioral Borrowers," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 89(1), pages 175-199, March.
    18. S. Nageeb Ali, 2011. "Learning Self-Control," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 126(2), pages 857-893.
    19. B. Douglas Bernheim & Debraj Ray & Şevin Yeltekin, 2015. "Poverty and Self‐Control," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 83(5), pages 1877-1911, September.
    20. Katherine L. Milkman & Julia A. Minson & Kevin G. M. Volpp, 2014. "Holding the Hunger Games Hostage at the Gym: An Evaluation of Temptation Bundling," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 60(2), pages 283-299, February.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    COVID-19; optimism bias; perceived-risk;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • D9 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:beh:jbepv1:v:6:y:2022:i:1:p:11-20. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SABE (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/sabeeea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.