arXiv subjects

Eiji Yamamura

Publications and source records attributed to Eiji Yamamura.

31 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2022

Gender differences of the effect of vaccination on perceptions of COVID-19 and mental health in Japan

Vaccination has been promoted to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Vaccination is expected to reduce the probability of and alleviate the seriousness of COVID-19 infection. Accordingly, this might significantly change an individuals subjective well-being and mental health. However, it is unknown how vaccinated people perceive the effectiveness of COVID-19 and how their subjective well-being and mental health change after vaccination. We thus observed the same individuals on a monthly basis from March 2020 to September 2021 in all parts of Japan. Then, large sample panel data (N=54,007) were independently constructed. Using the data, we compared the individuals perceptions of COVID-19, subjective well-being, and mental health before and after vaccination. Furthermore, we compared the effect of vaccination on the perceptions of COVID-19 and mental health for females and males. We used the fixed-effects model to control for individual time-invariant characteristics. The major findings were as follows: First, the vaccinated people perceived the probability of getting infected and the seriousness of COVID-19 to be lower than before vaccination. This was observed not only when we used the whole sample, but also when we used sub-samples. Second, using the whole sample, subjective well-being and mental health improved. The same results were also observed using the sub-sample of females, whereas the improvements were not observed using a sub-sample of males.

econ.GN↗

arXiv2021

Where do I rank? Am I happy?: learning income position and subjective-wellbeing in an internet experiment

A tailor-made internet survey experiment provides individuals with information on their income positions to examine their effects on subjective well-being. In the first survey, respondents were asked about their household income and subjective well-being. Based on the data collected, three different respondents' income positions within the residential locality, within a group of the same educational background, and cohort were obtained. In the follow-up survey for the treatment group, respondents are informed of their income positions and then asked for subjective well-being. Key findings are that, after obtaining information, a higher individual's income position improves their subjective well-being. The effects varied according to individual characteristics and proxies.

econ.GN↗

arXiv2021

Information of income position and its impact on perceived tax burden and preference for redistribution: An Internet Survey Experiment

A customized internet survey experiment is conducted in Japan to examine how individuals' relative income position influences preferences for income redistribution and individual perceptions regarding income tax burden. I first asked respondents about their perceived income position in their country and their preferences for redistribution and perceived tax burden. In the follow-up survey for the treatment group, I provided information on their true income position and asked the same questions as in the first survey. For the control group, I did not provide their true income position and asked the same questions. I gathered a large sample that comprised observations of the treatment group (4,682) and the control group (2,268). The key findings suggest that after being informed of individuals' real income position, (1) individuals who thought their income position was higher than the true one perceived their tax burden to be larger, (2) individuals' preference for redistribution hardly changes, and (3) irreciprocal individuals perceive their tax burden to be larger and are more likely to prefer redistribution. However, the share of irreciprocal ones is small. This leads Japan to be a non-welfare state.

econ.GN↗

arXiv2021

The Effect of Providing Peer Information on Evaluation for Gender Equalized and ESG Oriented Firms: An Internet Survey Experiment

Internet survey experiment is conducted to examine how providing peer information of evaluation about progressive firms changed individual's evaluations. Using large sample including over 13,000 observations collected by two-step experimental surveys, I found; (1) provision of the information leads individuals to expect higher probability of rising of stocks and be more willing to buy it. (2) the effect on willingness to buy is larger than the expected probability of stock price rising, (3) The effect for woman is larger than for man. (4) individuals who prefer environment (woman's empowerment) become more willing to buy stock of pro-environment (gender-balanced) firms than others if they have the information. (5) The effect of the peer information is larger for individuals with "warm -glow" motivation.

econ.GN↗

arXiv2021

Granddaughter and voting for a female candidate

This study examines the influence of grandchildren's gender on grandparents' voting behavior using independently collected individual-level data. The survey was conducted immediately after the House of Councilors election in Japan. I observed that individuals with a granddaughter were more likely to vote for female candidates by around 10 % than those without. However, having a daughter did not affect the parents' voting behavior. Furthermore, having a son or a grandson did not influence grandparents' voting behavior. This implies that grandparents voted for their granddaughter's future benefit because granddaughters may be too young vote in a male-dominated and aging society.

econ.GN↗

arXiv2021

View about consumption tax and grandchildren

In Japan, the increase in the consumption tax rate, a measure of balanced public finance, reduces the inequality of fiscal burden between the present and future generations. This study estimates the effect of grandchildren on an older person's view of consumption tax, using independently collected data. The results show that having grandchildren is positively associated with supporting an increase in consumption tax. Further, this association is observed strongly between granddaughters and grandparents. However, the association between grandsons and grandparents depends on the sub-sample. This implies that people of the old generation are likely to accept the tax burden to reduce the burden on their grandchildren, especially granddaughters. In other words, grandparents show intergenerational altruism.

econ.GN↗

arXiv2021

How COVID-19 influences healthcare workers' happiness: Panel data analysis in Japan

Healthcare workers are more likely to be infected with the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) because of unavoidable contact with infected people. Although they are equipped to reduce the likelihood of infection, their distress has increased. This study examines how COVID-19 influences healthcare workers' happiness, compared to other workers. We constructed panel data via Internet surveys during the COVID-19 epidemic in Japan, from March to June 2020, by surveying the same respondents at different times. The survey period started before the state of emergency, and ended after deregulation. The key findings are as follows. (1) Overall, the happiness level of healthcare workers is lower than that of other workers. (2) The biggest disparity in happiness level, between healthcare workers and others, was observed after deregulation and not during the state of emergency. After deregulation, the difference was larger by 0.26 points, on an 11-point scale, than in the initial wave before the state of emergency.

econ.GN↗

arXiv2021

How does COVID-19 change insurance and vaccine demand? Evidence from short-panel data in Japan

In this study, we explored how the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) affected the demand for insurance and vaccines in Japan from mid-March to mid-April 2020. Through independent internet surveys, respondents were asked hypothetical questions concerning the demand for insurance and vaccines for protection against COVID-19. Using the collected short-panel data, after controlling for individual characteristics using the fixed effects model, the key findings, within the context of the pandemic, were as follows: (1) Contrary to extant studies, the demand for insurance by females was smaller than that by their male counterparts; (2) The gap in demand for insurance between genders increased as the pandemic prevailed; (3) The demand for a vaccine by females was higher than that for males; and (4) As COVID-19 spread throughout Japan, demand for insurance decreased, whereas the demand for a vaccine increased.

econ.GN↗

arXiv2021

Impact of closing schools on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence using panel data from Japan

The spread of the novel coronavirus disease caused schools in Japan to close to cope with the pandemic. In response to this, parents of students were obliged to care for their children during the daytime when they were usually at school. Does the increase in burden of childcare influence parents mental health? Based on short panel data from mid-March to mid-April 2020, we explored how school closures influenced the mental health of parents with school-aged children. Using the fixed effects model, we found that school closures lead to students mothers suffering from worse mental health than other females, while the fathers mental health did not differ from other males. This tendency was only observed for less educated mothers who had children attending primary school, but not those attending junior high school. The contribution of this paper is to show that school closures increased the inequality of mental health between genders and the educational background of parents.

econ.GN↗

arXiv2021

Changing views about remote working during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence using panel data from Japan

COVID-19 has led to school closures in Japan to cope with the pandemic. Under the state of emergency, in addition to school closure, after-school care has not been sufficiently supplied. We independently collected individual level data through internet surveys to construct short panel data from mid-March to mid-June 2020, which covered before and after the state of emergency. We analyze how the presence of school-aged children influences their parents views about working from home. After controlling for various factors using a fixed effects model, we find that in cases where parents were workers, and the children are (1) in primary school, parents are willing to promote working from home. If children are (2) in junior high school, the parents view is hardly affected. (3) Surprisingly, workers whose children are primary school pupils are most likely to support promotion of working from home after schools reopen. Due to school closure and a lack of after-school care, parents need to work from home, and this experience motivated workers with small children to continue doing so to improve work-life balance even after schools reopen.

econ.GN↗

arXiv2021

Female teachers effect on male pupils' voting behavior and preference formation

This study examines the influence of learning in a female teacher homeroom class in elementary school on pupils' voting behavior later in life, using independently collected individual-level data. Further, we evaluate its effect on preference for women's participation in the workplace in adulthood. Our study found that having a female teacher in the first year of school makes individuals more likely to vote for female candidates, and to prefer policy for female labor participation in adulthood. However, the effect is only observed among males, and not female pupils. These findings offer new evidence for the female socialization hypothesis.

econ.GN↗

arXiv2021

Long-term effects of female teacher on her pupils' smoking behaviour later in life

In Japan, teacher and student is randomly matched in the first year of elementary school. Under the quasi-natural experimental setting, we examine how learning in female teacher homeroom class in the elementary school influence pupils' smoking behavior after they become adult. We found that pupils are unlikely to smoke later in life if they belonged to female teacher homeroom class in pupil's first year of school.

econ.GN↗

arXiv2014

Superstars in politics: the role of the media in the rise and success of Junichiro Koizumi

This paper explores the role of mass media in people perceptions of charismatic leaders, focusing on the case of Junichiro Koizumi, Prime Minister of Japan from 2001 to 2006. Using survey data collected immediately after his 2005 landslide electoral victory, this study empirically assesses the influence of television and newspapers on support for Koizumi and for the most distinctive policy action he announced during his campaign, the privatization of the postal service.

econ.GN↗