A new study, released in Scientific Reports in Nature, found behavioural responses to pandemics are more shaped by perceived risk than actual mortality or hospitalisation risk.
![David Savage photo of research](https://www.newcastle.edu.au/__data/assets/image/0003/692418/varieties/sidebar_cal_thumb.jpg)
Using mobility data, standard activities such as visiting parks, grocery shopping, visiting residential homes and using public transport were compared to analyse activity levels pre-COVID-19, at the declaration of the pandemic, and during the pandemic.
Co-author of the paper and Behavioural Economist at the University of Newcastle, Associate Professor David Savage, said the results showed that risk-taking attitudes are a critical factor in predicting reductions in human mobility and social confinement around the world.
The study found regions with risk-averse attitudes, such as Florida which has a high retiree population, were more likely to adjust their activities in response to the declaration of a pandemic, even before official government lockdown.
Click here to read the paper.