Pandemics in Europe: Political and Social Responses Series - Crisis Signaling: How Italy's Coronavirus Lockdown affected incumbent Support in Other European Countries
The COVID-19 pandemic is an unparalleled global crisis. Yet, despite the grave adversity faced by citizens, incumbents around the world experienced a boost in popularity during the onset of the outbreak. In this study, we examine how the response to the COVID-19 outbreak in one country has affected incumbent support in other countries. Specifically, we leverage the fact that the first country-wide lockdown on European soil, in Italy on March 9, 2020, happened during the fieldwork of online surveys conducted in four other European countries, France, Germany, Poland and Spain.