In short
During the COVID-19 pandemic we have experienced severe social restrictions that have changed our social lives drastically. DistantButClose studies the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social wellbeing, not only during the pandemic, but also in the years after. We also aim to understand if and how specific groups in society (such as older adults and young adults) experienced a stronger impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their social wellbeing. In addition, we aim to assess the association between levels of social wellbeing and adherence to COVID-19 vaccination and other safety measures instructed by the government (such as physical distancing, wearing face masks etc.), as a way to prepare for future pandemics. This will be studied both at a Belgian and a European level.
Project description
Despite conflicting findings, a growing body of evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated loneliness and social isolation worldwide. In Belgium, data from the COVID-19 health survey in March 2021 revealed that more than 60% of the population was dissatisfied with their social contacts and about 30% reported strong feelings of loneliness. This is concerning, as poor social wellbeing not only has negative health effects on individuals, but also may hinder efforts to end a health crisis. The DistantButClose project aims to innovatively address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social well-being, specifically focusing on both loneliness and social isolation. DistantButClose seeks to contribute to existing knowledge by:
- exploring the public health implications of loneliness and social isolation during health crises
- studying persisting consequences of the pandemic, moving beyond the focus on short-term effects only
- investigating inequalities in the long-term effects of the pandemic across socio-demographic groups, with a special focus on older adults and adolescents.
- adopting a comparative approach to gain understanding of the meso- (neighbourhoods and schools) and macro-level (Belgian regions and European countries) factors that have shaped the long-term consequences of the pandemic, thus expanding beyond individual-level explanations.
DistantButClose is a collaboration between the Departments of Sociology and of Public Health and Primary Care at Ghent University and the University of Antwerp, the Center of Research in Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Clinical research of the Free University of Brussels, and the Scientific Directorate of Epidemiology and Public Health of Sciensano. It is funded by BELSPO as part of the POST-COVID research programme. The project aims to contribute to pandemic preparedness and tackle the pressing issue of loneliness and social isolation, both by sharing new scientific insights and by developing policy recommendations for structural interventions.
Sciensano's project investigator(s):
Service(s) working on this project
Partners
