COVID-19, stigma, and habituation: evidence from mobility data

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Behavioral Economics
• Epidemiology

Background:

• The Japanese government implemented non-punitive states of emergency during COVID-19 to restrict public movement.
• Understanding the association between policy interventions and population mobility is crucial for pandemic management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze how repeated policy interventions, specifically emergency declarations, influence people's going-out behavior.
• To investigate the habituation effects on self-restraint behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a theoretical stigma model of self-restraint behavior with habituation effects.
• Conducted empirical analysis using prefecture-level daily panel data, including Google mobility data and policy intervention timelines.
• Controlled for covariates such as weather and holidays affecting mobility.

Main Results:

• Confirmed a negative association between emergency declarations and mobility when not considering the number of declarations.
• Demonstrated that the negative impact of emergency declarations on mobility decreases with the number of declarations issued.
• Observed a weakening self-restraint effect with repeated policy interventions.

Conclusions:

• Empirical findings align with theoretical predictions regarding habituation to emergency declarations.
• The effectiveness of non-legally binding restrictions on behavior diminishes with repeated implementation.
• Policy interventions need to consider habituation effects for sustained public health impact.