Policy Research

To curb the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing measures are enforced to restrict face-to-face contact among people. Economic and non-economic activities that involve face-to-face contact have to be reduced or suspended. These measures have caused major disruptions to our daily routines as well as the flow of resources needed to maintain our well-being. While social networks provide valuable resources for us to cope with life challenges, many resources are best delivered through face-to-face contacts, such as household assistance, physical care, and emotional support. Social distancing measures may thus impede the flow of such resources to people in need regardless of social strata and urge people to explore alternative means of resource delivery or substitutes. The accessibility to resources in a time of social distancing is influenced by the structure and composition of social networks, which in turn are affected by social locations, for example, age, gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.

My proposed study aims at evaluating the impacts of social distancing measures adopted in Hong Kong during the pandemic across different sub-populations, and exploring various coping strategies adopted across the social spectrums to mitigate the negative impacts of social distancing. Understanding the impacts of social distancing is crucial to evaluate the capacity of a society to undertake these drastic measures for a significant period. It will also help design better policies and directing resources more effectively to needy members in society if these measures are to be adopted ever again.