Life in crisis mode

What particularly burdened people during the Corona pandemic, what strengthened them during the crisis situation? What can be learned from this for future crises? The study "Life in Crisis Mode" evaluated the FReDA dataset and presented initial results at a press conference. The study was supplemented with data on current well-being and concerns from the infratest dimap’s Corona-COMPASS survey.

To begin, it can be observed that the Corona pandemic considerably reduced life satisfaction of almost all people. In particular, financial worries were perceived as very burdensome. It is striking, however, that women and men often had very different concerns during the pandemic. Yet, the ability to also perceive positive aspects in the crisis contributes to resilience and increases life satisfaction. It was found that this resilience factor is much more pronounced among the highly educated than among other educational groups.

Families particularly important in the pandemic

Even though the Corona burdens were particularly high for parents, the findings clearly show that family status strengthened many people, especially during this crisis. However, it is not enough to simply live in a partnership or family. "It depends on the quality of the relationships with the partner and the children", explains Dr Martin Bujard, FReDA Principal Investigator and Research Director at the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB). The more positive the family relationships, the better mothers and fathers came through the pandemic.

Increased life satisfaction – despite rising worries

Even though Corona no longer triggers such strong worries and burdens as it did in the past months, new crises and conflicts now influence many people's attitude to life. In this context, worries about one's own economic situation have risen to a very high level since the beginning of 2022.

But although the worries of many parents have increased again, general life satisfaction is at a comparatively high level. "Even if there are current worries, they tend to be future-oriented", explains Prof. C. Katharina Spieß, FReDA Principal Investigator and Director of BiB. "Current crises such as the war in Ukraine or energy shortages have not yet affected the reality of everyone's lives", says Spieß. This is true at least until the time of the last survey in August 2022. It was different with daycare and school closures or contact restrictions during the Corona pandemic as many people felt these effects immediately.

Social inequality makes itself felt in crises

Overall, social inequalities are clearly noticeable in crises like the pandemic: Parents from households with low education and low income have significantly lower life satisfaction.

Here you can find a recording of the press conference "Life in Crisis Mode: Families in the Corona Pandemic and the Challenges of Today".