De-biasing Over-Optimism about Covid-19 Risks to Limit Vulnerable Individuals’ Risky Behavior in India

An important part of the policy response to a pandemic is to provide information about health risks and protective measures individuals can take to mitigate those risks, yet determining the most effective way to present such information can be challenging. Researchers are evaluating the impact of providing different types of information about the health risks of Covid-19 on individuals’ risky behavior among diabetic and hypertensive individuals in Tamil Nadu, India, with special attention to de-biasing over-optimism about personal health risk ( results forthcoming).