Gender Differences in Fear and Risk Perception During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has led many people to suffer from emotional distress. Previous studies suggest that women process and express affective experiences, such as fear, with a greater intensity compared to men. We administered an online survey to a sample of participants in the United States that measures fear of COVID-19, perceptions about health and financial risks, and preventative measures taken. Despite the empirical fact that men are more likely to experience adverse health consequences from COVID-19, women report greater fear and more negative expectations about health-related consequences of COVID-19 than men. However, women are more optimistic than men regarding the financial consequences of the pandemic. Women also report more negative emotional experiences generally during the pandemic, particularly in situations where other people or the government take actions that make matters worse. Though women report taking more preventative measures than men in response to the pandemic, gender differences in behavior are reduced after controlling for fear. These results shed light on how differences in emotional experiences of the pandemic may inform policy interventions.

Keywords: COVID-19; affect heuristic; beliefs; fear; gender differences; health behavior; risk perception.

Figure 1

(A) Empirical cumulative distribution function for fear of COVID-19 by gender (11-point Likert question with response alternatives ranging from “Not at all afraid” at 0 to “Very afraid” at 11). (B) Average fear of COVID-19 by gender (error bars represent 95% confidence intervals). Wilcoxon rank-sum tests: ^***p < 0.001.

Figure 2

(A) Empirical cumulative distribution function (eCDF) for self-reported beliefs about the likelihood of oneself or someone close developing COVID-19 (develop COVID-19). (B) Average self-reported beliefs of developing COVID-19. (C) eCDF for the self-reported beliefs about the likelihood of oneself or someone close dying from COVID-19 (Die from COVID-19). (D) Average self-reported beliefs of dying from COVID-19. Data are split by gender (error bars represent 95% confidence interval). Wilcoxon rank-sum tests: ^***p < 0.001.

Figure 3

Expected negative emotional experience (e.g., sadness or anger) in a hypothetical scenario where (A) other people (B) the government (C) the media, or (D) an autonomous system take actions that make matters worse in a crisis (11-point Likert question with response alternatives ranging from “Not at all” at 0 to “A great deal” at 11). Data are split by gender (error bars represent 95% confidence interval). Wilcoxon rank-sum test: ^***p < 0.001.