Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/236260 
Year of Publication: 
2021
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 14229
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
This paper investigates if the anti-scientific rhetoric of modern populists can induce followers to engage in risky behavior. We gather electoral information, in-person card transactions, 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 community recommendations, social distancing in pro-government localities declined. Consistently, general in-person transactions increased immediately, while expenses in pharmacies and cases grew with a six-day lag. Results are driven by localities with higher media penetration levels, active Twitter accounts, and a larger proportion of Evangelical Christians, a critical electoral group.
Subjects: 
populism
persuasion
leadership
risky behavior
health
COVID-19
JEL: 
D1
D72
I12
I31
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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