Does COVID-19 really make people risk aversion in investment decision-making?

The economic fallout from COVID-19 pandemic changes individuals’ investment perceptions and behaviors in a tremendous way. Consequently, investment decision-making has been affected as people have to adjust to the new environment. This study aims to study whether COVID-19 really make people risk aversion due to the economic slowdown. Our empirical results are analyzed from household finance data in U.S in July 2021. It is found that COVID-19 proximity, income, and occupation are positively associate with risking taking in investment decision-making, while age and family size are not. This study contributes to the newly emerged body of knowledge on post pandemic investment decision-making and risk behavior analysis and provide implications for financial investment institutions.