Risk attitudes and human mobility during the COVID-19 pandemic

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 10; no. 1; p. 19931
• Main Authors: Chan, Ho Fai, Skali, Ahmed, Savage, David A., Stadelmann, David, Torgler, Benno
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 16.11.2020; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/477; 631/477/2811; 692/700/478; Attitude to Health; Attitudes; Commerce - statistics & numerical data; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 - psychology; Crowding; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Leisure Activities; Locomotion; Mobility; multidisciplinary; Pandemics; Pandemics - statistics & numerical data; Risk aversion; Risk taking; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Transportation - statistics & numerical data; Travel - statistics & numerical data
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-76763-2

Behavioural responses to pandemics are less shaped by actual mortality or hospitalisation risks than they are by risk attitudes. We explore human mobility patterns as a measure of behavioural responses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our results indicate that risk-taking attitudes are a critical factor in predicting reductions in human mobility and social confinement around the globe. We find that the sharp decline in mobility after the WHO (World Health Organization) declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic can be attributed to risk attitudes. Our results suggest that regions with risk-averse attitudes are more likely to adjust their behavioural activity in response to the declaration of a pandemic even before official government lockdowns. Further understanding of the basis of responses to epidemics, e.g., precautionary behaviour, will help improve the containment of the spread of the virus.