Frequent mandatory COVID-19 testing may increase risky behavior

Chian Jones Ritten; Linda Thunström; Todd Cherry; J D Wulfhorst

doi:10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac247

Frequent mandatory COVID-19 testing may increase risky behavior

PNAS Nexus. 2022 Nov 4;1(5):pgac247. doi: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac247. eCollection 2022 Nov.

Authors

Chian Jones Ritten¹, Linda Thunström², Todd Cherry², J D Wulfhorst³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA.
² Department of Economics, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA.
³ Department of Natural Resources and Society, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA.

Abstract

Mandatory surveillance testing programs are popular policies aimed to control SARS-CoV-2 and may be considered for future epidemics. However, if people believe that testing lowers their risk of infection, such policies could increase risky behavior and may even cause increased pathogen spread. Using data from two US universities, we find that frequent mandatory testing is associated with greater participation in events linked to COVID-19 spread. Women seem to be driving this association, and mediation analyses suggest this is partly due to women's higher perception of COVID-related health risks. Our results show the potential for adverse effects from epidemic control policies, both on average and across population subgroups. Undertaking mitigation measures to reduce such unintended consequences may therefore be important.

Keywords: COVID-19; disease spread; health risks; mandatory disease testing; risk compensation.