TY  - RPRT
        AU  - Ajzenman, Nicolas
AU  - Cavalcanti, Tiago
AU  - Mata, Daniel Da
        TI  - More than Words: Leaders' Speech and Risky Behavior During a Pandemic
        PY  - 2021/Mar/
        PB  - Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        CY  - Bonn
        T2  - IZA Discussion Paper
        IS  - 14229
        UR  - https://www.iza.org/publications/dp14229
        AB  - This paper investigates if the anti-scientific rhetoric of modern populists can induce followers to engage in risky behavior. We gather electoral information, in-person card transactions, and geo-localized mobile phone data for approximately 60 million devices in Brazil. After the president publicly dismissed the risks of the COVID-19 pandemic and challenged scientific community recommendations, social distancing in pro-government localities declined. Consistently, general in-person transactions increased immediately, while expenses in pharmacies and cases grew with a six-day lag. Results are driven by localities with higher media penetration levels, active Twitter accounts, and a larger proportion of Evangelical Christians, a critical electoral group.
        KW  - risky behavior
KW  - leadership
KW  - persuasion
KW  - populism
KW  - health
KW  - COVID-19
        ER  -