Stigma and misconceptions in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic: A field experiment in India
Stigma and misconceptions in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic: A field experiment in India
A hidden cost of the COVID-19 pandemic is the stigma associated with the disease for those infected and groups that are considered as more likely to be infected. This paper examines whether the provision of accurate and focused information about COVID-19 from a reliable source can reduce stigmatization. We carry out a randomized field experiment in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India, in which we provide an information brief about COVID-19 by phone to a random subsample of participants to address stigma and misconceptions. We find that the information brief decreases stigmatization of COVID-19 patients and certain groups such as religious minorities, lower-caste groups, and frontline workers (healthcare, police), and reduces the belief that infection cases are more prevalent among certain marginalized social and economic groups (Muslims, low caste, rural-poor population). We provide suggestive evidence that improved knowledge about the prevention and transmission of COVID-19 and reduced stress about the disease are important channels for the reduction in stigmatization.
COVID-19, Experiment, Infodemics, Information, Misconceptions, Stigma
Islam, Asad
4cc05358-a17f-4e7e-a165-9c855ffac294
Pakrashi, Debayan
a8a20a5b-b8bf-4aa2-afd0-64c2fa29be61
Vlassopoulos, Michael
2d557227-958c-4855-92a8-b74b398f95c7
Wang, Liang Choon
f01e3b13-951b-4208-81ce-4e4dc00917a8
June 2021
Islam, Asad
4cc05358-a17f-4e7e-a165-9c855ffac294
Pakrashi, Debayan
a8a20a5b-b8bf-4aa2-afd0-64c2fa29be61
Vlassopoulos, Michael
2d557227-958c-4855-92a8-b74b398f95c7
Wang, Liang Choon
f01e3b13-951b-4208-81ce-4e4dc00917a8
Islam, Asad, Pakrashi, Debayan, Vlassopoulos, Michael and Wang, Liang Choon
(2021)
Stigma and misconceptions in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic: A field experiment in India.
Social Science & Medicine, 278, [113966].
(doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113966).
Abstract
A hidden cost of the COVID-19 pandemic is the stigma associated with the disease for those infected and groups that are considered as more likely to be infected. This paper examines whether the provision of accurate and focused information about COVID-19 from a reliable source can reduce stigmatization. We carry out a randomized field experiment in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India, in which we provide an information brief about COVID-19 by phone to a random subsample of participants to address stigma and misconceptions. We find that the information brief decreases stigmatization of COVID-19 patients and certain groups such as religious minorities, lower-caste groups, and frontline workers (healthcare, police), and reduces the belief that infection cases are more prevalent among certain marginalized social and economic groups (Muslims, low caste, rural-poor population). We provide suggestive evidence that improved knowledge about the prevention and transmission of COVID-19 and reduced stress about the disease are important channels for the reduction in stigmatization.
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Accepted/In Press date: 23 April 2021
e-pub ahead of print date: 28 April 2021
Published date: June 2021
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
* This project was supported by funding provided by the Centre for Development Economics and Sustainability (CDES), Monash University. Ethical clearance for this project came from the Institutional Ethics Committee at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (Approval number IITK/IEC/2019-20-II/June/1 ). This study is pre-registered at the American Economic Association RCT Registry (AEA pre-registration ID: AEARCTR-0006011 ).
Funding Information:
We acknowledge the funding support from the Centre for Development Economics and Sustainability which made this research possible. The study has received ethical clearance from the Institutional Ethics Committee at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (Approval number IITK/IEC/2019-20-II/June/1 ). The study is also pre-registered at the AEA RCT Registry (AEA pre-registration ID: AEARCTR-0006011).
Funding Information:
* This project was supported by funding provided by the Centre for Development Economics and Sustainability (CDES), Monash University. Ethical clearance for this project came from the Institutional Ethics Committee at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (Approval number IITK/IEC/2019-20-II/June/1). This study is pre-registered at the American Economic Association RCT Registry (AEA pre-registration ID: AEARCTR-0006011).We acknowledge the funding support from the Centre for Development Economics and Sustainability which made this research possible. The study has received ethical clearance from the Institutional Ethics Committee at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (Approval number IITK/IEC/2019-20-II/June/1). The study is also pre-registered at the AEA RCT Registry (AEA pre-registration ID: AEARCTR-0006011).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier Ltd
Keywords:
COVID-19, Experiment, Infodemics, Information, Misconceptions, Stigma
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 448988
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/448988
ISSN: 0277-9536
PURE UUID: 8763ddab-7b65-483b-ab17-744784685075
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Date deposited: 12 May 2021 16:49
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 03:10
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Contributors
Author:
Asad Islam
Author:
Debayan Pakrashi
Author:
Liang Choon Wang
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