Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/218910 
Year of Publication: 
2020
Series/Report no.: 
KIT Working Paper Series in Economics No. 140
Publisher: 
Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT), Institut für Volkswirtschaftslehre (ECON), Karlsruhe
Abstract: 
We study individual demand for COVID-19 antibody tests in an incentivized study on a representative sample of the US population. Almost 2,000 participants trade off obtaining an athome test kit against money. At prices close to zero, 80 percent of individuals want the test. However, this broad support of testing falls sharply with price. Demand decreases by 19 percentage points per $10 price increase. Demand for testing increases with factors related to its potential value, such as age, increased length and strength of protective immunity from antibodies, and greater uncertainty about having had the virus. Willingness to pay for antibody tests also depends on income, ethnicity and political views. Black respondents show significantly lower demand than white and Hispanic respondents, and Trump-supporters demonstrate significantly lower demand for testing. The results suggest that charging even moderate prices for antibody tests could widen health inequalities.
Subjects: 
Coronavirus
COVID-19
Antibody Tests
Information Preferences
Beliefs
Uncertainty
JEL: 
D81
D91
I12
I18
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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