Role of media coverage in mitigating COVID-19 transmission: evidence from China

This paper evaluates the impact of media coverage in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 in China during the early phase of the pandemic. We construct provincial-level data on media coverage and link with COVID-19 indicators and population mobility data, among other control variables. We estimate how...

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Main Authors: Liu, Ning, Chen, Zhuo, Bao, Guoxian
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier Inc. 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/63876/
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author Liu, Ning
Chen, Zhuo
Bao, Guoxian
author_facet Liu, Ning
Chen, Zhuo
Bao, Guoxian
author_sort Liu, Ning
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description This paper evaluates the impact of media coverage in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 in China during the early phase of the pandemic. We construct provincial-level data on media coverage and link with COVID-19 indicators and population mobility data, among other control variables. We estimate how media coverage mitigates the temporal and spatial spread of COVID-19. Seemingly unrelated regressions are used to examine the simultaneous impact of media coverage on the number of new cases and close contacts. The results show that the effect of media coverage on COVID-19 transmission in China has an inverse-U curvature and was mediated by within- and across-province population mobility. Based on our simulation results, media coverage in China is associated with a potential reduction of 394,000 COVID-19 cases and 1.4 million close contacts during January 19 and February 29. Our results also support the important role of contact tracing in mitigating the transmission of COVID-19.
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spelling nottingham-638762020-12-03T06:03:06Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/63876/ Role of media coverage in mitigating COVID-19 transmission: evidence from China Liu, Ning Chen, Zhuo Bao, Guoxian This paper evaluates the impact of media coverage in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 in China during the early phase of the pandemic. We construct provincial-level data on media coverage and link with COVID-19 indicators and population mobility data, among other control variables. We estimate how media coverage mitigates the temporal and spatial spread of COVID-19. Seemingly unrelated regressions are used to examine the simultaneous impact of media coverage on the number of new cases and close contacts. The results show that the effect of media coverage on COVID-19 transmission in China has an inverse-U curvature and was mediated by within- and across-province population mobility. Based on our simulation results, media coverage in China is associated with a potential reduction of 394,000 COVID-19 cases and 1.4 million close contacts during January 19 and February 29. Our results also support the important role of contact tracing in mitigating the transmission of COVID-19. Elsevier Inc. 2020-10-31 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en cc_by https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/63876/1/Role%20of%20media%20coverage%20in%20mitigating%20COVID-19%20transmission%20Evidence%20from%20China.pdf Liu, Ning, Chen, Zhuo and Bao, Guoxian (2020) Role of media coverage in mitigating COVID-19 transmission: evidence from China. Technological Forecasting and Social Change . p. 120435. ISSN 0040-1625 COVID-19; China; media coverage; contact tracing; population mobility http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2020.120435 doi:10.1016/j.techfore.2020.120435 doi:10.1016/j.techfore.2020.120435
spellingShingle COVID-19; China; media coverage; contact tracing; population mobility
Liu, Ning
Chen, Zhuo
Bao, Guoxian
Role of media coverage in mitigating COVID-19 transmission: evidence from China
title Role of media coverage in mitigating COVID-19 transmission: evidence from China
title_full Role of media coverage in mitigating COVID-19 transmission: evidence from China
title_fullStr Role of media coverage in mitigating COVID-19 transmission: evidence from China
title_full_unstemmed Role of media coverage in mitigating COVID-19 transmission: evidence from China
title_short Role of media coverage in mitigating COVID-19 transmission: evidence from China
title_sort role of media coverage in mitigating covid-19 transmission: evidence from china
topic COVID-19; China; media coverage; contact tracing; population mobility
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/63876/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/63876/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/63876/