COVID-19: Technology, Social Connections, Loneliness & Leisure Activities
The COVID-19 pandemic, which began in January 2020, has led Singapore to implement various social distancing measures and a partial lockdown (‘Circuit Breaker’). Remote working (working from home) and decreasing social contact have changed everyday city life. The pilot study ‘COVID-19: Technology, Use, Behaviour, Social Connections, Self-Isolation & Loneliness Study’ was conducted between May 2020 and August 2020 to explore how Singaporeans described their wellbeing, expressed feelings of loneliness, and the extent they used digital technologies for work or social activities. Moreover, the data collected will help us understand the relationship between mental wellbeing and the use of digital technologies among individuals of varying sociodemographic backgrounds and family structures for policy implications (e.g., resilience through digital technologies).
After last year’s outbreak, many of us are still coping with the disruptions from the COVID-19. I hope that this project based on the earlier situation of the pandemic will give us some insights on the importance of physical social interactions on our wellbeing and implications on sustainable networks in the times of crisis.
by Dr. Ko Pei-Chun
CUC Faculties’ Involvement
Collaborator
Collaboration institution & duration
The Open University, United Kingdom
Data collection: May – August 2020
Publication:
Marston, H. R., Ivan, L.,…, Ko, P. C…. & Öztürk Çalikoglu, H. (2020). COVID-19: Technology, Social Connections, Loneliness, and Leisure Activities: An International Study Protocol. Frontiers in Sociology, 5, 89. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2020.574811
Digital Practices by Citizens during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings from an International, Multi-site Study (under review)
URLs of the project
https://healthwellbeing.open.ac.uk/covid-19/
Contact information
for those who want to know more about the project, please contact: