Public support for lockdown policies

Abstract

Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 disease, many countries in the world have been forced to impose non-pharmaceutical policy interventions such as lockdowns to stop community transmission. Although justified by public health reasons, this constitutes a great deprivation of freedom. I investigate public support for the lockdown policy in Spain, one of the countries most affected by the pandemic and with the strictest lockdown in Europe. Based on survey data collected during the first weeks of April and May 2020, I analyse how public support for the lockdown relates to the number of confirmed cases in the province of residence, personal institutional trust and concern about the severity of coronavirus. I find that public approval of the lockdown significantly relates to the evolution of COVID cases, institutional trust, political ideology and personal economic situation.