IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/applec/v56y2024i43p5181-5189.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Using the synthetic control method to determine the impact of state-level mask mandates on COVID-19 fatality rates

Author

Listed:
  • Mark Gius

Abstract

The purpose of the present study is to determine if state-level mask mandates significantly reduced COVID-19 fatality rates. Using weekly data for the period 22 January 2020 to 1 February 2022 and a synthetic control method, results indicated that mask mandates were associated with reductions in COVID-19 fatalities. In both California and Washington, mask mandates were associated with a reduction in COVID-19 fatality rates, especially after COVID-19 vaccines became readily available in April of 2021. In Oregon, there was no statistically significant relationship between mask mandates and COVID-19 fatality rates. To test the robustness of these results, a random effects model was also estimated, and it was also found that mask mandates were associated with a significant reduction in COVID-19 fatality rates. Findings also indicated that states with larger elderly populations and larger populations of African-Americans had significantly higher COVID-19 fatality rates.

Suggested Citation

  • Mark Gius, 2024. "Using the synthetic control method to determine the impact of state-level mask mandates on COVID-19 fatality rates," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 56(43), pages 5181-5189, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:applec:v:56:y:2024:i:43:p:5181-5189
    DOI: 10.1080/00036846.2023.2244244
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/00036846.2023.2244244
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/00036846.2023.2244244?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    More about this item

    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:taf:applec:v:56:y:2024:i:43:p:5181-5189. 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.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using 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: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/RAEC20 .

    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.