The psychological gains from COVID-19 vaccination
利用英国大规模面板调查数据，发现疫苗接种使心理幸福感提升0.12个标准差，弥补了疫情导致的心理健康恶化的一半，且效果持续至少两个月。
We estimate the impact of COVID-19 vaccination on psychological well-being using information from a large-scale panel survey representative of the UK population. Exploiting exogenous variation in the timing of vaccinations, we find that vaccination increases psychological well-being (GHQ-12) by 0.12 standard deviations, compensating for one-half of the deterioration in mental health caused by the pandemic. This improvement persists for at least two months, and is linked to higher engagement in social activities and a decrease in the self-reported likelihood of contracting COVID-19. The main beneficiaries are individuals who became mentally distressed during the pandemic, supporting their prioritization in vaccination roll-outs. Conversely, individuals who harbored concerns about potential vaccine side effects show no improvement in psychological well-being upon vaccination, underscoring the importance of public confidence in vaccine safety and efficacy. Accounting for the improvement in psychological well-being increases the benefits of vaccination by around 50%. • Vaccination increases psychological well-being (GHQ-12) by 0.12 standard deviations, compensating for one-half of the deterioration in mental health caused by the pandemic. • The main beneficiaries are individuals who became mentally distressed during the pandemic, supporting their prioritization in vaccination roll-outs. • Conversely, individuals who harbored concerns about potential vaccine side effects show no improvement in psychological well-being upon vaccination, underscoring the importance of public confidence in vaccine safety and efficacy. • Accounting for the improvement in psychological well-being increases the benefits of vaccination by around 50%.