COVID-19 Survey

Experiences of Social Distancing during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Survey

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries imposed social distancing measures. These have included keeping apart from other people when out, closing shops, restaurants, schools, and workplaces, wearing face masks, stopping events, and requiring people to stay at home. People have also been told to self-isolate if they have symptoms or have been exposed to the virus. These measures have had a significant impact on people’s lives all over the world.

Our main concern, as a multidisciplinary team spanning psychology, philosophy, psychiatry, medicine, and anthropology, is that this record also includes a detailed account of how people experienced the pandemic from their first-person perspective.

In April- July 2020, we created an online study that comprises a survey, asking people questions about their life in times of pandemic and describing their experiences of isolation and lockdown. Topics include their experience of other people, everyday life, moods and emotions, how time passes, how it feels not able to move around freely, sense of trust or doubt, and grief, for example. The first data reports of the first wave of COVID-19 has been published in August 2021 in Frontiers in Public Health.

In May 2021 – July 2021, we relaunch this survey to explore further how these measures continue to impact lives around the world by collecting reports of lived experiences in the current time of the pandemic. We are currently in the process of analysing this data.

The Research Team:

• Dr. Tom Froese, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Japan (Principal Investigator)
• Dr. Tomoari Mori, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Japan
• Dr. Jamila Rodrigues, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Japan
• Dr. Mark James, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Japan
• Prof. Matthew Ratcliffe, University of York, UK
• Prof. Havi Carel, University of Bristol, UK
• Dr. Alice Malpass, University of Bristol, UK
• Prof. Matthew Broome, University of Birmingham, UK
• Dr. Clara Humpston, University of Birmingham, UK
• Kathryn Body, University of Bristol, UK

Technical and Administrative Support:

• Dr. Federico Sangati, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Japan
• Kaori Yamashiro, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Japan

Contact Information

If you have a question, concern, or complaint, you can write an e-mail to the project coordinator, Dr. Tom Froese, at the following project e-mail address: covid-19-survey-contact@oist.jp