The forces behind social unrest: Evidence from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The unprecedented consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic have raised concerns about the erosion of social cohesion and intensified social unrest, but evidence for such a link and the underlying channels is still lacking. We use a unique combination of nationally representative survey data, event data...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2025-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0314165 |
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| author | Mario Lackner Uwe Sunde Rudolf Winter-Ebmer |
| author_facet | Mario Lackner Uwe Sunde Rudolf Winter-Ebmer |
| author_sort | Mario Lackner |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The unprecedented consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic have raised concerns about the erosion of social cohesion and intensified social unrest, but evidence for such a link and the underlying channels is still lacking. We use a unique combination of nationally representative survey data, event data on social unrest, and data on Covid-19 fatalities and unemployment at a weekly resolution to investigate the forces behind social cohesion and unrest in the context of the strains on public health and the economy due to the pandemic in the USA. The results show that pandemic-related unemployment and Covid-19 fatalities intensified negative emotional stress and led to a deterioration of economic confidence among individuals. The prevalence of negative emotional stress, particularly in economically strained and politically polarized environments, was, in turn, associated with intensified social unrest as measured by political protests. No such link is found for economic perceptions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-48ef9c21f65a4b8eb448b02c29bd10e1 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj-art-48ef9c21f65a4b8eb448b02c29bd10e12025-01-08T05:31:58ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032025-01-01201e031416510.1371/journal.pone.0314165The forces behind social unrest: Evidence from the Covid-19 pandemic.Mario LacknerUwe SundeRudolf Winter-EbmerThe unprecedented consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic have raised concerns about the erosion of social cohesion and intensified social unrest, but evidence for such a link and the underlying channels is still lacking. We use a unique combination of nationally representative survey data, event data on social unrest, and data on Covid-19 fatalities and unemployment at a weekly resolution to investigate the forces behind social cohesion and unrest in the context of the strains on public health and the economy due to the pandemic in the USA. The results show that pandemic-related unemployment and Covid-19 fatalities intensified negative emotional stress and led to a deterioration of economic confidence among individuals. The prevalence of negative emotional stress, particularly in economically strained and politically polarized environments, was, in turn, associated with intensified social unrest as measured by political protests. No such link is found for economic perceptions.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0314165 |
| spellingShingle | Mario Lackner Uwe Sunde Rudolf Winter-Ebmer The forces behind social unrest: Evidence from the Covid-19 pandemic. PLoS ONE |
| title | The forces behind social unrest: Evidence from the Covid-19 pandemic. |
| title_full | The forces behind social unrest: Evidence from the Covid-19 pandemic. |
| title_fullStr | The forces behind social unrest: Evidence from the Covid-19 pandemic. |
| title_full_unstemmed | The forces behind social unrest: Evidence from the Covid-19 pandemic. |
| title_short | The forces behind social unrest: Evidence from the Covid-19 pandemic. |
| title_sort | forces behind social unrest evidence from the covid 19 pandemic |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0314165 |
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