Policy uncertainty threatens access to affordable medical care, yet few studies have examined how it shapes what people search for online. This study examines whether economic policy uncertainty predi..
Policy uncertainty threatens access to affordable medical care, yet few studies have examined how it shapes what people search for online. This study examines whether economic policy uncertainty predicts mental health information-seeking behavior by analyzing daily Wikipedia pageviews from July 2015 to April 2026 using a time series model. Results show that as economic policy uncertainty increases, there is an increase in pageviews on Wikipedia for suicide related information. When there is an increase in those searching for information on pages about depression and pages about anxiety, there is also an increase in pageviews on Wikipedia for suicide related information. An indicator for stock market volatility was not a significant predictor of pageviews on Wikipedia for suicide related information. The findings suggest that economic policy uncertainty predicts mental health information-seeking specifically about suicide rather than about mental health more broadly, as suicide is an extreme and immediate response to feelings of distress, whereas anxiety and depression are more long-term conditions.
Education Health Policy Higher Education Medicine and Health Sciences Mental and Social Health Other Political Science Political Science Psychiatric and Mental Health Public Affairs, Public Policy and..
Education Health Policy Higher Education Medicine and Health Sciences Mental and Social Health Other Political Science Political Science Psychiatric and Mental Health Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Social and Behavioral Sciences
