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Do You Have COVID-19?: How to Increase the Use of Diagnostic and Contact-Tracing Apps

Author

Listed:
  • Martínez Villarreal, Déborah
  • Parilli, Cristina
  • Rojas Méndez, Ana María
  • Scartascini, Carlos
  • Simpser, Alberto

Abstract

Diagnostic and contact tracing apps are an important weapon against contagion during a pandemic. We study how the content of the messages used to promote the apps influences adoption by conducting a survey experiment on approximately 23,000 Mexican adults. Respondents were randomly assigned to one of three different prompts, or a control condition, before stating their willingness to adopt a diagnostic app and contact-tracing app. The prompt emphasizing government efforts to ensure data privacy, which has been one of the most common strategies, reduced willingness to adopt the diagnostic app by about 4 percentage points and the contact tracing app by 3 percentage points. An effective app promotion policy must understand individuals' reservations and be wary of unintended reactions to naive reassurances.

Suggested Citation

  • Martínez Villarreal, Déborah & Parilli, Cristina & Rojas Méndez, Ana María & Scartascini, Carlos & Simpser, Alberto, 2021. "Do You Have COVID-19?: How to Increase the Use of Diagnostic and Contact-Tracing Apps," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 11121, Inter-American Development Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:idb:brikps:11121
    DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18235/0003131
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    Cited by:

    1. Bonvecchi, Alejandro & Calvo, Ernesto & Otálvaro-Ramírez, Susana & Scartascini, Carlos, 2022. "The Effect of a Crisis on Trust and Willingness to Reform: Evidence from Survey Panels in Argentina and Uruguay," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 12359, Inter-American Development Bank.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    data privacy; COVID19; Priming; contact tracing apps; Diagnostic apps; Take-up;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • D62 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Externalities
    • D90 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - General

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