ECOS – European COVID Survey

• Applicants: Professorin Dr. Johanna Kokot; Professor Dr. Tom Stargardt
• Subject Area: Economic Policy, Applied Economics
• Term: from 2021 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 466310982

The objective of this research proposal is to generate scientific evidence on behavioral effectiveness and acceptability of public health interventions in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. To achieve this, we employ a research design that overcomes the limitations of previous studies. First, we aim to continue data collection, preserving the panel data design that has been carried since the onset of the pandemic in four waves of our European COVID Survey (ECOS). The survey is representative for each of seven countries (Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and the United Kingdom) with 1000 respondents for each country. Second, we will combine empirical data with experiments to allow for a stronger inference about the causal relationship. In our pursuit of investigating the role of individual risk perceptions in changes in protective behavior, we will both acquire risk perceptions and specifically elicit risk preferences through modelling hypothetical situations and conducting financially incentivized randomized experiments. The continuation of data collection will allow us to answer the following research questions: 1) Can we rely on individual risk-perceptions during the pandemic as motivating factors for adherence to protective behaviors? 2) Can eliciting changes in risk perceptions lead to changes in protective behaviors or intentions to alter protective behaviors? 3) How are risk perceptions formed, how do they develop, and do they change because of protective behaviors over the course of the pandemic? Third, we will explore time differences in the countries vaccine campaigns to measure causal effects by employing a difference in difference approach. Within each data collection, we elicited the acceptability for two COVID-19 vaccines using the willingness to pay methodology (WTP). A continued data collection will allow us to answer the following research questions: 1) What are the (behavioral) determinants of the WTP for COVID-19 vaccines in seven European countries over time? 2) Which distributional priorities arise from the WTP data, and how do these compare to respondents' stated preferences? 3) Do information campaigns and/or vaccine availability change the strengths of preferences for a vaccine in sub-groups of the population, compared to the populations as a whole? The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic showed to be highly heterogeneous across the EU regions and population groups triggering the need for tailored policy responses and causing heterogeneous acceptability of policy measures across population groups. In light of this, our findings will be important not only to facilitate public health responses to the COVID-19 pandemic but will also provide behavioral insights for tackling future public health emergencies.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants