RAPID: The Social and Behavioral Impact of COVID-19

Italy and China are the prominent examples of places where the coronavirus is upending an entire way of life. Estimates from the CDC and NIH suggest the U.S. might soon be facing similar infection rates. If this becomes the case, the U.S. should expect similar large disruptions to daily life. Given the exponential spread of the virus, these changes will occur very rapidly. International examples paint a vivid picture. According to data from Johns Hopkins , Italy had three confirmed cases of COVID-19 on February 20. By March 7, they had over five thousand, and had restricted movement in most of their northern region. Today, less than 25 days after the first three confirmations, that number has swelled beyond twenty-one thousand, most of the country has restricted movement, and there are places where only essential businesses remain open. As Monica Maggioni stated poignantly in the Washington Post on March 13, “These days, in Italy, you die in silence and you’ll be buried in silence.” There will clearly be public health consequences from COVID-19. However, there will also be social consequences. On March 11, shortly before the President’s oval office address, I began a national survey effort, seeking to capture the social, cultural, and behavioral changes resulting from the coronavirus . The survey began quickly, because I wanted to establish a baseline for measures as early as possible. As social researchers, if COVID-19 upends American life, we need to observe and understand the changes, both to aid with current public health efforts and to document social shifts for future research. This proposal seeks $72,500 in direct costs, to maintain and expand survey administration. The proposal begins with a discussion of survey topics and research goals, details a data collection and sampling scheme, and outlines the data release plan.