Dynamics of Social Mobility During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Canada

23 Pages Posted: 22 Jun 2020

See all articles by Mutlu Yuksel

Mutlu Yuksel

IZA; Dalhousie University

Yigit Aydede

Saint Mary's University

Francisko Begolli

Dalhousie University

Abstract

As the number of cases increases globally, governments and authorities have continued to use mobility restrictions that were, and still are, the only effective tool to control for the viral transmission. Yet, the relationship between public orders and behavioral parameters of social distancing observed in the community is a complex process and an important policy question. The evidence shows that adherence to public orders about the social distancing is not stable and fluctuates with degree of spatial differences in information and the level of risk aversion. This study aims to uncover the behavioural parameters of change in mobility dynamics in major Canadian cities and questions the role of people's beliefs about how contagious the disease is on the level of compliancy to public orders. Our findings reveal that the degree of social distancing under strict restrictions is bound by choice, which is affected by the departure of people's beliefs from the public order about how severe the effects of disease are. Understanding the dynamics of social distancing thus helps reduce the growth rate of the number of infections, compared to that predicted by epidemiological models.

Keywords: COVID-19, mobility, transmission, viral infections

undefined

JEL Classification: I20, I26, J24

Suggested Citation

Yuksel, Mutlu and Yuksel, Mutlu and Aydede, Yigit and Begolli, Francisko, Dynamics of Social Mobility During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Canada. IZA Discussion Paper No. 13376, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3631586 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3631586

Mutlu Yuksel (Contact Author)

IZA ( email )

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

Dalhousie University ( email )

Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 3J5
Canada

HOME PAGE: http://myweb.dal.ca/mt899590/

Yigit Aydede

Saint Mary's University ( email )

Halifax, NS B3H3C3
Canada

Francisko Begolli

Dalhousie University ( email )

6225 University Avenue
Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4H7
Canada

0 References

    0 Citations

      Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?

      Paper statistics

      Downloads
      202
      Abstract Views
      966
      Rank
      312,178
      PlumX Metrics
      Plum Print visual indicator of research metrics
      • Usage
        • Abstract Views: 963
        • Downloads: 201
      • Captures
        • Readers: 16
      see details