Abstract
We investigate the effects of COVID-19 lockdowns on frequency of online search on mental well-being and religiosity-related terms in Indonesia using high-frequency data from Google Trends and Bank Indonesia Consumer Survey from January 1st, 2018, to February 28th, 2021. Monthly search terms and consumer survey data are merged at the provincial level, which results in a total of 131,300 individual observations. Using event analysis and instrumental variable approaches, our study suggests that lockdown policy is significantly associated with higher search intensity of mental well-being and religiosity-related terms compared to the pre-lockdown period. Our findings suggest that mentally disturbed people tend to lean on religion to cope with stressful events during a crisis. Our study has substantial policy implications on ensuring appropriate government interventions that minimize the detrimental effect of COVID-19 on mental well-being.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
