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Saved by the news? COVID-19 in German news and its relationship with regional mobility behaviour

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  • Burcu Ozgun
  • Tom Broekel

Abstract

There are substantial differences across regions regarding COVID-19 infections and deaths, which are partly explained by differences in practicing social distancing. In this paper we argue that the portrayal of COVID-19 in regional media might be an important factor in explaining regional differences in social distancing. By using mobility as a proxy, and analysing data on regional news coverage in Germany, we investigate empirically whether the geographical heterogeneity in COVID-19-related news reporting has translated into spatial variations in social distancing. Our results confirm that the frequency of and the element of fear in COVID-19 news have a significant, albeit time-varying, relationship with social distancing.

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  • Burcu Ozgun & Tom Broekel, 2024. "Saved by the news? COVID-19 in German news and its relationship with regional mobility behaviour," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 58(2), pages 365-380, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:regstd:v:58:y:2024:i:2:p:365-380
    DOI: 10.1080/00343404.2022.2145012
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    JEL classification:

    • R10 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - General
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • D10 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - General
    • L82 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Entertainment; Media

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