Risk and Preferences for Government Healthcare Spending: Evidence from the UK COVID-19 Crisis

Abstract The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic constituted a large shock to risk acquiring disease that represents meaningful threat health. We investigate whether individuals subject larger increases in objective health – operationalized by occupation-based measures proximity other people became more supportive increased government healthcare spending during crisis. Using panel data track UK before (May 2018–December 2019) and after (June 2020) outbreak pandemic, we implement fixed-effect design was pre-registered key treatment variable available us. While high-risk occupations were worried about their personal infection had higher death rates, there is no evidence risks shifted either attitudes on or broader relating redistribution. Our findings are consistent with recent research demonstrating limited effects political attitudes.