Japan's voluntary lockdown: further evidence based on age-specific mobile location data

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Public Health
• Behavioral Economics

Background:

• COVID-19 pandemic prompted behavioral changes influenced by government mandates and public information.
• Understanding age-specific responses to interventions and information is crucial for public health policy.
• Distinguishing between mandated (intervention) and voluntary (information) behavioral effects is key.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze how intervention and information effects on mobility behavior differ across age groups during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To investigate the age-specific impact of government orders versus voluntary information-driven behavioral changes.

Main Methods:

• Utilized age-specific mobile location data to track population mobility patterns.
• Analyzed changes in behavior attributed to government interventions (intervention effect) and information dissemination (information effect).

Main Results:

• Government interventions reduced outings more among younger age groups, contrary to targeted lockdown proposals for older, high-risk individuals.
• Older age groups showed increased home-staying behavior, particularly on weekends and holidays, driven by the information effect.
• The information effect, though declining overall since summer 2020, remained more pronounced among younger individuals, maintaining an upward age-sloping trend.

Conclusions:

• Japan's government intervention primarily influenced younger populations' mobility, while older adults' reduced mobility stemmed from voluntary responses to pandemic information.
• Findings contrast with targeted lockdown strategies, highlighting the significant role of information dissemination in voluntary risk-avoidance behavior.
• The diminishing information effect suggests a need for adaptive communication strategies to maintain protective behaviors.