An examination and extension of the Peltzman effect during the Covid-19 pandemic

Katharina Henk; Florian Rosing; Fabian Wolff; Svenja B Frenzel; Rolf van Dick; Valerie A Erkens; Jan A Häusser; Andreas Mojzisch; Diana Boer

doi:10.1016/j.cresp.2023.100091

An examination and extension of the Peltzman effect during the Covid-19 pandemic

Curr Res Ecol Soc Psychol. 2023:4:100091. doi: 10.1016/j.cresp.2023.100091. Epub 2023 Jan 26.

Authors

Katharina Henk¹, Florian Rosing¹, Fabian Wolff¹, Svenja B Frenzel², Rolf van Dick², Valerie A Erkens³, Jan A Häusser³, Andreas Mojzisch⁴, Diana Boer¹

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Psychology, University of Koblenz.
² Department of Social psychology, Goethe University Frankfurt.
³ Department of Social psychology, Justus-Liebig-University Gießen.
⁴ Institute of Psychology, University Hildesheim.

Abstract

Since the first COVID-19 case was confirmed in Germany, the German government has introduced various measures to counteract the pandemic. The implementation of safety measures can have counterproductive effects: people engage in risk compensatory behavior (fewer safety behaviors) after regulations are introduced and obligated by the government, which is known as the Peltzman effect (Peltzman, 1975). Based on the Peltzman effect, the researchers of this study hypothesized that people complied less with safety behaviors and took more health risks (e.g. keep less distance) after the implementation of more stringent COVID-19-related regulations (quarantine obligation and face mask duty) between the two measurement periods of this study. They also extended the Peltzman model by hypothesizing moderating roles of age, gender, and perceived COVID-19 threat. Results of the longitudinal survey study (N = 989, T1: 26 March - 31 March 2020 and T2: 27 April - 4 May 2020) confirm that people indeed complied less with safety recommendations over time associated with strengthened COVID-19-related regulations. Perceived COVID-19 threat to those in a person's surroundings (e.g. family, neighbors) had a positive impact on compliance, but age and gender had no effect. This extends the literature on the Peltzman effect by adding perceived COVID-19 threat as a new relevant construct, enabling the development of more effective safety preventions in the future.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; Peltzman effect; Risk compensation; safety regulations perceived COVID-19 threat.