COVID-19 compliance behaviors of older people: The role of cognitive and non-cognitive skills

Andrew E Clark; Conchita D'Ambrosio; Ilke Onur; Rong Zhu

doi:10.1016/j.econlet.2021.110158

COVID-19 compliance behaviors of older people: The role of cognitive and non-cognitive skills

Econ Lett. 2022 Jan:210:110158. doi: 10.1016/j.econlet.2021.110158. Epub 2021 Nov 25.

Authors

Andrew E Clark¹, Conchita D'Ambrosio², Ilke Onur³, Rong Zhu³

Affiliations

¹ Paris School of Economics - CNRS, France.
² Université du Luxembourg, Luxembourg.
³ Flinders University, Australia.

Abstract

This paper examines the empirical relationship between individuals' cognitive and non-cognitive abilities and COVID-19 compliance behaviors using cross-country data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). We find that both cognitive and non-cognitive skills predict responsible health behaviors during the COVID-19 crisis. Episodic memory is the most important cognitive skill, while conscientiousness and neuroticism are the most significant personality traits. There is also some evidence of a role for an internal locus of control in compliance.

Keywords: Cognitive skills; Compliance; Locus of control; Personality traits.

Abstract

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