Differences in and drivers of mental, social, functional, and financial well-being during COVID-19: Evidence from Australia, France, Germany, and South Africa

Arvid Hoffmann*, Daria Plotkina, Marie-Hélène Broihanne, Anja Göritz, Stefanie Kleimeier

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

COVID-19 has a substantial and unexpected impact on individuals' daily life around the world. Unprecedented public health restrictions such as lockdowns have the potential to affect multiple dimensions of individuals' well-being, while the severity of such restrictions varies across countries. However, a holistic perspective comparing differences in and drivers of the different dimensions of well-being across countries differentially affected by COVID-19 is missing to date. We address this gap in the literature by examining the mental, social, functional, and financial well-being of 2,100 individuals across Australia, France, Germany, and South Africa by means of a survey administered during May of 2021. Supporting our holistic approach, we find that the different dimensions of well-being are correlated, with survey respondents from France reporting the lowest and those from Australia reporting the highest overall level of well-being. Respondents' subjective and objective evaluations of their living conditions during lockdowns as well as positive health and financial behaviors are positively associated with their well-being during the pandemic.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere0276077
Number of pages21
JournalPLOS ONE
Volume17
Issue number10
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 13 Oct 2022

Keywords

  • Australia/epidemiology
  • COVID-19/epidemiology
  • Communicable Disease Control
  • Germany/epidemiology
  • Humans
  • South Africa/epidemiology

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