RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Black Lives Matter Protests and Risk Avoidance
JF Journal of Human Resources
JO J Hum Resour
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 0121-11463R1
DO 10.3368/jhr.0121-11463R1
A1 Dhaval Dave
A1 Andrew Friedson
A1 Kyutaro Matsuzawa
A1 Joseph J. Sabia
A1 Samuel Safford
YR 2023
UL http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2023/05/01/jhr.0121-11463R1.abstract
AB This study examines the impacts of summer 2020 Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests on risk avoidance behaviors. Using daily anonymized smartphone data on social mobility and an event-study approach, we find that net stay-at-home behavior increased following protest onset. This result is consistent with avoidance behaviors in response to perceived risk of COVID-19 infection and protest-related violence. Furthermore, we find that BLM protests reduced local activities that were potentially riskier for infection than outdoor protests: restaurant and bar-going and retail shopping. We conclude that risk avoidance behaviors help to explain why BLM protests did not lead to local COVID-19 spread.