The LoneCovid-Project
Development and Significance of Social Relationships in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent political measures taken to contain it (e.g., curfews, contact restrictions) have not only come at a high economic cost, but also at a high social cost in particular. However, social relationships are essential for human well-being and the smooth functioning of a society – they significantly influence physical and mental health, resilience, and attitudes and behaviors.
It is in this context that the LoneCovid project sets out to collect quantitative data on the social networks of the general adult population in Germany. The overarching goal is to investigate the long-term effects of the pandemic on social relationships, particularly with regard to mental health, institutional trust, and the implementation of policy measures.
Key Research Questions
- How do social networks develop over the course of the pandemic? Is there a return to the old “normal state” or can longer-term changes be observed?
- What are the long-term consequences of changes in the social network for mental health (loneliness and depression)?
- What influence does the social network have on individual trust in politics and science? To what extent has this affected compliance with the measures?
Research to date shows that the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and trust in important social institutions and actors can be observed at the local, national, and international level. On the one hand, psychosocial problems such as loneliness, depression, anxiety, and stress have become more frequent (Röhr et al. 2020); on the other hand, some people have lost trust in politics and science, which has reinforced existing tendencies towards radicalization (Guhl and Gerster 2020). The latter is particularly evident in the public and private resistance to the political measures taken to contain the pandemic. One example of this is the “lateral thinking demonstrations.”
The development of the pandemic and its consequences for society can be well understood empirically. However, it is much more difficult to understand the direct impact on individuals and their social integration. Therefore, we look at people’s social contacts and interactions as social networks, i.e., as patterns of social relationships between actors. By analyzing the dynamic interplay between individuals and social integration, we can better understand how people influence, support, or harm each other.
Publications
Repke, Lydia, Theresia Ell, and Henning Silber. 2024. "Beyond Distancing - An Examination of Social Networks and Mental Health in the Covid-19 Era." Sunbelt Conference 2024, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, 2024-06-24.
Ell, Theresia, Lydia Repke, and Henning Silber. 2024. "Personal and Technology-Based Communication and Its Impact on Mental Health From a Network Perspective." Sunbelt Conference 2024, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, 2024-06-24.
Ell, Theresia, Lydia Repke, and Henning Silber. 2024. "Persönliche und mediierte Kommunikation und ihre Auswirkungen auf die mentale Gesundheit aus Netzwerkperspektive." Frühjahrstagung DGNet und DGS:„Digitale Netzwerke: Soziale Formationen im und ums Internet“ , Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, 2024-03-14.
Repke, Lydia, Theresia Ell, and Henning Silber. 2023. "Beyond Distancing: An Examination of Social Networks and Mental Health in the Covid-19 Era." Social networks and wellbeing of older adults, Universität zu Köln, Köln, 2023-12-07.
Ell, Theresia, Lydia Repke, and Henning Silber. 2023. "Collecting Egocentric Network Data in Live Video-Based Interviews." European Survey Research Association (ESRA) 2023 Conference, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Milano, 2023-07-17.
Ell, Theresia, Julian Urban, Lydia Repke, and Henning Silber. 2023. "Entwicklung und Validierung einer Kurzskala zu sozialen Offline- und Online-Kontakten während der Covid-19-Pandemie." "Soziale Netzwerke in Zeiten globaler Krisen", Frühjahrstagung der Sektion Soziologische Netzwerkforschung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Soziologie, Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institut, Bundesforschungsinstitut für Ländliche Räume, Wald und Fischerei , Braunschweig, 2023-03-15.
Silber, Henning, Theresia Ell, Lydia Repke, and Alexandru Cernat. 2024. "Collecting Egocentric Social Network Data in Live Video-Based Interviews." Going online: Using Video Interviewing in Surveys Research, Royal Statistical Society (RSS), Online, 2024-01-10.
Repke, Lydia, Theresia Ell, Henning Silber, and Bernd Weiß. 2023. "Entwicklung und Bedeutung sozialer Beziehungen im Kontext der Covid-19-Pandemie (LoneCovid)." Auftaktveranstaltung der vom BMBF geförderten Projekte "Gesellschaftliche Auswirkungen der Corona-Pandemie. Forschung für Integration, Teilhabe und Erneuerung", Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V., Bonn, 2023-11-16.
Repke, Lydia. 2025. "Corona und die Einsamkeit." Documentary by Julia Fritzsche for the TV show „NANO Wissen“ on 3sat, 2025-01-27. https://www.3sat.de/wissen/nano/250127-beitrag-corona-und-die-einsamkeit-nano-100.html.
Repke, Lydia. 2025. "Spaltendes Virus? Wie Corona unsere Gesellschaft prägt." Documentary by Julia Fritzsche for the TV show "Gut zu wissen" on BR (Bayerischer Rundfunk), 2025-01-04. https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/gut-zu-wissen/spaltendes-virus-wie-corona-unsere-gesellschaft-praegt/br/Y3JpZDovL2JyLmRlL2Jyb2FkY2FzdC9GMjAyNFdPMDA2NjQ5QTA.
Lauer, C. (2024, Februar). Folgen der Corona Pandemie: Die dünnhäutige und erschöpfte Gesellschaft. WELT Wissen. https://www.welt.de/wissenschaft/plus249747260/Folgen-der-Corona-Pandemie-Die-duennhaeutige-und-misstrauische-Gesellschaft.html
Project Team
| Name | Telephone | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Repke,
Dr.
Lydia
(Project Manager) |
+49 (0621) 1246-581 | |
|
Ell,
Theresia
(Project Member and Doctoral Student ) |
+49 (0621) 1246-560 | |
|
Weiß,
Dr.
Bernd
(Project Member) |
+49 (0621) 1246-557 |