Trust in the Healthcare System and COVID-19 Treatment in the Developing World. Survey and Experimental Evidence from Armenia

Abstract

C oncerns are loom ing that the healthcare system s in low-and m iddleincom e countries (LM IC s) are m ostly unprepared to com bat C O V ID-19 because of lim ited resources. T he problem s in LM IC s are exacerbated by the fact that citizens in these countries generally exhibit low trust in the healthcare system , w hich could trigger a num ber of uncooperative behaviors. In this paper, w e focus on one such behavior and investigate the relationship betw een trust in the healthcare system and the likelihood of potential treatm ent-seeking behavior upon the appearance of the first sym ptom s of C O V ID -19. First, w e provide m otivating evidence from a unique national on-line survey adm inistered in A rm enia -a post-Soviet LM IC country. W e then present results from a large-scale survey experim ent in A rm enia that provides causal evidence in support of the investigated relationship. O ur m ain finding is that a m ore trustw orthy healthcare system enhances the likelihood of potential treatm ent-seeking behavior w hen observing the initial sym ptom s.

How confidence in health care systems affects mobility and compliance during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…We hypothesize that regions with low confidence in the health care system will exhibit a stronger behavioral reaction to the outbreak (evidenced by a decrease in social mobility due to staying at home) than will regions with higher confidence. More confidence in the health care system may also encourage individuals to seek treatment (earlier) and therefore potentially improve societal outcomes [27], whereas a lack of confidence may result in avoidance until all other options are exhausted.…”