Entwicklung und Bedeutung sozialer Beziehungen im Kontext der Covid-19-Pandemie (LoneCovid)

The LoneCovid project investigates the long-term

development of social relationships throughout the Covid 19 pandemic and their

influence on mental health, trust in politics and science, and adherence to

political measures. For this purpose, longitudinal data from the GESIS panel

will be combined with newly collected ego-centered network data in a

mixed-methods design.

People are embedded in social networks and can influence

each other positively and negatively. With the outbreak of the pandemic, these

networks changed abruptly. As a result of contact constraints, for example, the

number of personal contacts has decreased, and that of digital contacts has

increased. Changes in social networks can affect mental health, trust, and

compliance with political measures. While the content of the network is crucial

when considering mental health (quality of individual relationships,

composition, size), the structure of the network (interconnectedness of network

members) is also important when considering attitudes and behaviors. The theoretical

mechanism of contagion explains the influence of the network on attitudinal and

behavioral changes. The interactions between the individual and the network are

a crucial aspect often neglected due to a lack of data.

Thus, this project aims to describe the long-term social

consequences of the Covid 19 pandemic, including social networks, and to derive

policy recommendations. These recommendations should, on the one hand, help to

emerge from the pandemic with the lowest possible social costs and, on the

other hand, prepare for future crises.