Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

June 2, 2020

Willingness to Accept Tradeoffs among Covid-19 Cases Social-Distancing Restrictions and Economic Impact A Nationwide US Study

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  • [pre-print, not peer reviewed] A US-based discrete-choice experiment focusing on COVID-19 risk, duration of social distancing measures, and depth and duration of negative economic impacts reveal that respondents (n=5,953) fell into 4 distinct groups: 1) risk minimizers (36%), who prioritized minimizing risk of COVID-19; 2) waiters (26%), who placed little importance on COVID-19 risk but preferred to delay reopening of businesses; 3) pro-business (25%), who prioritize economic recovery more than mitigating COVID-19 risk; and 4) openers (13%), who prefer to reopen businesses immediately. 
  • Political affiliation, race, household income and employment status were associated with group membership, although the authors find that Democrats and Republicans are more similar than those who identify as independent.  

Reed et al. (June 2, 2020). Willingness to Accept Tradeoffs among Covid-19 Cases Social-Distancing Restrictions and Economic Impact A Nationwide US Study. Preprint downloaded June 2 from https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.06.01.20119180