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Communities and testing for COVID-19

Author

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  • Steven Stillman

    (Free University of Bozen-Bolzano
    CESifo
    IZA)

  • Mirco Tonin

    (Free University of Bozen-Bolzano
    CESifo
    Dondena Centre for Research on Social Dynamics and Public Policy
    IZA)

Abstract

The response to the COVID-19 epidemic requires people to undertake actions such as mask-wearing or vaccination that also confer benefits to the whole community, and therefore, are akin to public good contributions. This is the case also for participation to the mass testing that took place between November 18th and 25th, 2020 in the South Tyrol region of Italy, where 361,781 out of 500,607 (72.3%) eligible residents volunteered to take a COVID-19 rapid antigen test. We examine the community characteristics that are associated with higher testing rates. Our findings point to a number of key community determinants of people’s willingness to volunteer. Convenience and social capital were important factors. Beyond that, socioeconomic status and religiosity were also both positively related to greater testing, while childhood vaccinations refusal rates show a negative relationship.

Suggested Citation

  • Steven Stillman & Mirco Tonin, 2022. "Communities and testing for COVID-19," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 23(4), pages 617-625, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:eujhec:v:23:y:2022:i:4:d:10.1007_s10198-021-01385-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s10198-021-01385-y
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    1. Fallucchi, Francesco & Görges, Luise & Machado, Joël & Pieters, Arne & Suhrcke, Marc, 2021. "How to make universal, voluntary testing for COVID-19 work? A behavioural economics perspective," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 125(8), pages 972-980.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    COVID-19; Testing; Social capital; Religion; Vaccination; Public health;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health

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