Armand, Alex, Augsburg, Britta, Bancalari, Antonella and Kameshwara, Kalyan Kumar 2024. Religious proximity and misinformation: Experimental evidence from a mobile phone-based campaign in India. Journal of Health Economics. 96 102883. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhealeco.2024.102883
| Title | Religious proximity and misinformation: Experimental evidence from a mobile phone-based campaign in India |
|---|---|
| Type | Journal article |
| Authors | Armand, Alex, Augsburg, Britta, Bancalari, Antonella and Kameshwara, Kalyan Kumar |
| Abstract | We investigate how religion concordance influences the effectiveness of preventive health campaigns. Conducted during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in two major Indian cities marked by Hindu–Muslim tensions, we randomly assigned a representative sample of slum residents to receive either a physician-delivered information campaign promoting health-related preventive practices, or uninformative control messages on their mobile phones. Messages, introduced by a local citizen (the sender), were cross-randomized to start with a greeting signaling either a Hindu or a Muslim identity, manipulating religion concordance between sender and receiver. We found that doctor messages increased compliance with recommended practices and beliefs in their efficacy. Our findings suggest that the campaign’s impact is primarily driven by shared religion between sender and receiver, leading to increased message engagement and compliance with recommended practices. Additionally, we observe that religion concordance helps protect against misinformation. |
| Article number | 102883 |
| Journal | Journal of Health Economics |
| Journal citation | 96 |
| ISSN | 0167-6296 |
| Year | 2024 |
| Publisher | Elsevier |
| Publisher's version | License CC BY 4.0 File Access Level Open (open metadata and files) |
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhealeco.2024.102883 |
| PubMed ID | 38805882 |
| Web address (URL) | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167629624000286?via%3Dihub |
| Publication dates | |
| Published online | 09 May 2024 |
| Project | IND-20077 |
| 51808392 | |
| UIDB/00100/2020 | |
| UIDP/00124/2020 | |
| PINFRA/22209/2016 | |
| ES/T001623/1 | |
| Funder | International Growth Centre |
| LSE Special Grant for Coronavirus Research | |
| ESRC’s SWDTP Placement Scheme | |
| Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia | |
| POR Lisboa and POR Norte | |
| ESRC’s Centre for the Microeconomic Analysis of Public Policy at IFS | |
| Page range | 102883 |