1. Mental health effects of COVID-19 lockdowns: a Twitter-based analysis
- Author
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Colella, Sara, Dufourt, Frédéric, Hildebrand, Vincent, Vivès, Rémi, Aix-Marseille Sciences Economiques (AMSE), École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-École Centrale de Marseille (ECM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), York University [Toronto], Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, ANR-17-EURE-0020,AMSE (EUR),Aix-Marseille School of Economics(2017), and ANR-11-IDEX-0001,Amidex,INITIATIVE D'EXCELLENCE AIX MARSEILLE UNIVERSITE(2011)
- Subjects
lockdown ,JEL: I - Health, Education, and Welfare/I.I3 - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty/I.I3.I31 - General Welfare, Well-Being ,well-being ,Twitter data ,JEL: C - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods/C.C8 - Data Collection and Data Estimation Methodology • Computer Programs/C.C8.C81 - Methodology for Collecting, Estimating, and Organizing Microeconomic Data • Data Access ,COVID-19 ,[SHS.ECO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Economics and Finance ,mental health ,JEL: I - Health, Education, and Welfare/I.I1 - Health/I.I1.I12 - Health Behavior ,JEL: I - Health, Education, and Welfare/I.I1 - Health/I.I1.I18 - Government Policy • Regulation • Public Health - Abstract
We derive a mental health indicator measuring the frequency of words expressing anger, anxiety and sadness from a fixed population of Twitter users located in France. During the first COVID-19 lockdown, our indicator did not reveal a statistically significant mental health response, while the second lockdown triggered a sharp and persistent deterioration in all three emotions. In addition, DID and event study estimates show a more severe mental health deterioration among women and younger users during the second lockdown. Our results suggest that successive stay-at-home orders significantly worsen mental health across a large segment of the population.
- Published
- 2022