Affiliation:
1. McGill, IZA, and São Paulo School of Economics-FGV (email: )
2. University of Cambridge, CEPR, and São Paulo School of Economics-FGV (email: )
3. São Paulo School of Economics-FGV (email: )
Abstract
This paper investigates whether the anti-scientific rhetoric of modern populists can induce followers to engage in risky behavior. We gather electoral information, credit card expenses, and geo-localized mobile phone data for approximately 60 million devices in Brazil. After the president publicly dismissed the risks of the COVID-19 pandemic and challenged scientific recommendations, social distancing in pro-government localities declined. Consistently, credit card expenses increased immediately. Results are driven by localities with higher media penetration levels, active Twitter accounts, and a larger proportion of evangelical Christians, a critical electoral group. (JEL D72, D91, I12, I18, L82, O15, Z12)
Publisher
American Economic Association
Subject
General Economics, Econometrics and Finance
Reference58 articles.
1. History, Expectations, and Leadership in the Evolution of Social Norms
2. ACLED. 2021. Data on Protests. https://acleddata.com/data-export-tool/ (accessed on June 1, 2021).
3. The Power of Example: Corruption Spurs Corruption
4. Ajzenman, Nicolás, Tiago Cavalcanti, and Daniel Da Mata. 2023. "Replication data for: More than Words: Leaders' Speech and Risky Behavior during a Pandemic." American Economic Association [publisher], Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor]. https://doi. org/10.38886/E171661V1.
5. Polarization and public health: Partisan differences in social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic
Cited by
11 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献，注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献，订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献