COVID-19 Lockdown Policies Weaken Civic Attitudes in the US and Europe

• In Event: COVID-19 in Comparative Context

Abstract

The spread of COVID-19 has prompted governments to implement a range of restrictions to public life and the economy (broadly, lockdown policies). We evaluate the short- and medium-term impacts of lockdown policies on civic attitudes relevant for the health of democracy. Using survey data collected daily between March and May 2020 in the United States and four European countries from 27,317 respondents and a difference-in-differences design, we document that lockdown policies give rise to authoritarian values and, to a lesser degree, support for autocracy. We find little evidence that lockdown policies affect satisfaction with democracy and the government, out-group hostility, and generalized trust. Additional analyses reveal that the effects on authoritarianism and support for autocracy persist for at least seven weeks, that the lifting of lockdown policies does not have a countervailing effect away from authoritarianism and support for autocracy, and that economic support packages have limited ability to alleviate the negative consequences of lockdowns on civic attitudes. Together, these findings confirm the existence of lockdowns' political repercussions, but show the need for a nuanced assessment of their scope. We discuss the implications of our findings for how governments might need to accompany lockdowns with measures that strengthen civic culture.

Authors

• Moritz Marbach, Texas A&M University

• Dalston G Ward, ETH Zurich

• Dominik Hangartner, London School of Economics