Master of Science in Economics graduate student Sophie Croom had part of her master thesis, “Unmaking outdoor preferences: an analysis of the effects of COVID-19 mandates on recreation behaviour in Idaho” published in the Applied Economics Letters. Alongside her advisor Lee Parton, assistant professor of economics, Croom studied the effects of mask mandates on recreation patterns in Idaho during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Croom’s thesis uses mobile phone location data to track changes in visits to municipal and state parks after masks were introduced in the beginning of the pandemic. Croom examined the mandates of each Idaho county and found that places without mandates saw more visitors than those with mandates. This research explores how people react to restrictions and how their choices of recreational activities are impacted.