Black lives matter protests and risk avoidance: The case of civil unrest during a pandemic

Abstract

This study examines the impacts of summer 2020 Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests on risk avoidance behaviors. Using daily anonymized smartphone data on social mobility and an event-study approach, we find that net stay-at-home behavior increased following protest onset. This result is consistent with avoidance behaviors in response to perceived risk of COVID-19 infection and protest-related violence. Furthermore, we find that BLM protests reduced local activities that were potentially riskier for infection than outdoor protests: restaurant and bar-going and retail shopping. We conclude that risk avoidance behaviors help to explain why BLM protests did not lead to local COVID-19 spread.

Forthcoming Journal of Human Resources