Tadashi Yagi* and Yoshio Itaba
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in the need to implement certain measures, such as the declaration of a state of emergency in Japan, in order to prevent the spread of infection. This has led to widespread medical damage (death, severe illness, and sequelae) and economic damage (bankruptcy, business closures, and unemployment). People have also developed a fear of becoming infected with the disease. The economic losses have led to negative effects such as a rise in domestic violence, increased prevalence of depression, education stagnation resulting from school closures, and loneliness due to limited face-to-face interactions. In this study, we estimated the social costs of the COVID-19 pandemic and clarified the nature of people’s behavioral changes. This research is important for evaluating the policies that have been implemented so far to combat infectious diseases. The study focused on the relation between behavioral changes and the recognition of social cost. It was hypothesized that behavioral change is more prevalent among people who do not recognize the social cost of measures implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, we clarified the factors that determine the evaluation of policies, and those that determine the abovementioned societal changes in consciousness that serve as the basis for behavioral changes based on support or disapproval of the Swedish strategy.
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