Název:
Pandemics’ backlash: the effects of the 1918 influenza on health attitudes and behavior
Autoři:
Ochsner, Christian ; Schmid, L. Typ dokumentu: Výzkumné zprávy
Rok:
2025
Jazyk:
eng
Edice: CERGE-EI Working Paper Series, svazek: 796
Abstrakt: We study the effects of the largest adverse health shock in modern medicine—the 1918 influenza pandemic—on subsequent shifts in health-related attitudes and behavior and future-oriented policies. Our analysis builds upon self-digitized, individual-level death-register excerpts, vaccination records, and popular vote counts. We find that greater exposure to influenza leads to a decline in societal support for public health measures at the aggregate level, mainly triggered by deceased peers. However, individual-level data reveal increased vaccination rates in families who experienced influenza-related deaths. These differences did not exist before the pandemic. Our findings link to a U-shaped relationship between suffering from the pandemic and support for effective health policies. Places with predominantly indirectly-affected families drive the aggregate backlash. This challenges the idea that past health shocks improve life expectancy through societal learning.
Klíčová slova:
1918 influenza pandemic; health attitudes; health behavior Číslo projektu: GF23-09092L (CEP) Poskytovatel projektu: GA ČR