The impact of the COVID public policies on the Chilean households

This work uses survey data to study the immediate impact of the public policies implemented during the COVID crisis on the Chilean households. I show debt deferral initiatives only reach a few highly indebted agents, especially concentrated on richer families. Tax relief measures had a broad reach across the population, but with little financial impact. However, income and expenses support had both a wide reach and a strong impact on households, especially for poorer families. A broadening and scaling up of policy efforts should, therefore, focus on direct income support for families.