Families in the corona pandemic

In the policy brief "Families in the Corona Pandemic", FReDA is dedicated to life in an extraordinary crisis situation. The authors Prof. Dr Martin Bujard, Dr Inga Laß, Dr Emily Lines and Dr Helena Ludwig-Walz have investigated life satisfaction in the crisis, and in doing so have taken a close look at the importance of families in particular.

The most important facts in brief:

• During the pandemic, life satisfaction dropped significantly, especially during periods of contact restrictions. After the restrictions were relaxed, life satisfaction rose again somewhat.
• To get through crises well, three things are important, among others: family and good relationships with partners and children, financial security and the ability to be optimistic.
• Having a family, and especially a good quality of relationship in the partnership and with the children, was important for well-being during the pandemic. Family policy is particularly important in times of crisis. This includes reliable, all-day daycare and school care, low-threshold psychosocial counselling services for children and young people, and more family-friendly workplaces.
• About one third of middle-aged people had serious financial worries in the pandemic, which was associated with lower life satisfaction. Political measures such as short-time work (or, in the case of the energy crisis, the gas price brake), which quickly cushion financial risks, are helpful here.
• The ability to see positive sides even in crises is closely related to higher life satisfaction. A pinch of optimism and a look at other aspects of life can contribute to resilience in crises. Policymakers should address the opportunities that arise from crises and communicate supportive measures widely.

Why experiences from the corona crisis are relevant for the future

The corona pandemic had a massive impact on people's lives and society, and in some cases changed them in the long term. Due to the pandemic, climate change, the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine as well as high energy prices and high inflation, there is a parallelism of crises that has not been seen for a long time. Three years after the start of the corona pandemic in Germany, lessons can be learned from the experience with the pandemic that can be applied not only to society's handling of pandemics, but also to some extent to crises in general.

This study is based on the family demographic panel FReDA, data release v.2.0.0 (DOI: 10.4232/1.14065), Bujard et al. (2023). FReDA is a representative survey in Germany that interviews about 32,000 people aged 18 to 50 years twice a year (Schneider et al. 2021).

Life satisfaction low during lockdown

Overall, average life satisfaction dropped significantly during the corona pandemic. It was very low in spring 2021, when far-reaching measures to restrict contact shaped life. Thus, according to data from the Socio-Economic Panel, mean life satisfaction in the years before the pandemic fluctuated around 7.4 (men) and 7.5 (women) points on the scale of 0 to 10. In spring 2021, however, the value for both genders was only 6.7 points. In the course of 2021, a recovery was observed to 7.2 points in each case in autumn 2021, although the value was still below the pre-Corona level.

Fig. 1: Life satisfaction of women and men before and during the corona pandemic

Factors influencing life satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Individually, significant differences in life satisfaction and stress existed among children, adolescents (Ludwig-Walz et al. 2022, 2023) and parents (Huebener et al. 2022; Racine et al. 2022) during the pandemic. Life satisfaction can be influenced by socio-demographic characteristics as well as attitudes towards the pandemic and worries. In addition, so-called protective factors are needed to cope with crises in a healthy way. These can include: Social support, self-efficacy expectations and optimism. These factors ultimately lead to the resilience of individuals, which increases their resistance in the face of stressful life events (Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung 2012).

In order to be able to name the most significant factors of life satisfaction during the pandemic, multivariate analysis was carried out with FReDA (Figure 2). Family relationships, and especially the existence of a partnership, are associated with higher life satisfaction. Satisfaction was 0.73 points higher among people with a partner compared to other people. A high income, a foreign origin and a positive view of the pandemic (agreement with the statement: "I can also see good sides to this time.") were also associated with higher satisfaction. Suffering financial losses, on the other hand, had a significant negative correlation with life satisfaction, while the fear of falling ill and the difficulty of limiting personal contacts did not show any significant correlations.

Fig. 2: Life satisfaction according to assessments of the pandemic and socio-demographic factors

Relationships and their quality are crucial: in the partnership and with children

Both couples and parents - despite the burdens of daycare and school closures, as BiB studies (e.g. Bujard et al. 2021, Ludwig-Walz et al. 2023) have shown - were on average more satisfied than other groups during the corona pandemic. In further analyses not shown here, only people in a partnership were considered. This showed that the perceived quality of this relationship made the decisive difference for life satisfaction.

A separate analysis of families with minor children also showed that parenthood alone is not associated with satisfaction. Rather, the perceived quality of the relationship with the children, the emotional bonds and the everyday communication with the children are the decisive factors for higher life satisfaction.

Social emotional support is one of the most studied protective factors and an essential factor in the resilience concept. The results show how important stable family relationships are for people's life satisfaction in general and especially during the pandemic, and that emotional support can help people to get through times of crisis well.

Financial losses and uncertainties are a burden

A secure and stable financial environment is an important pillar for life satisfaction. Socially disadvantaged individuals and families in particular had to cope with financial constraints before the pandemic. The corona pandemic has exacerbated existing social inequalities, with many having to fear for their employment, wages or career opportunities. About one third of FReDA respondents experienced serious financial worries during the pandemic. This is often also associated with psychological stress and a reduction in life satisfaction. This is also evident in the FReDA analyses, especially among men.

Capacity for optimism as a protective factor

In addition to the numerous stresses and strains of the pandemic, the FReDA study also asked whether people were able to "gain some good points" from the pandemic. A good half, 54 percent of the respondents, agreed with this statement. This can be seen, at least in part, as an operationalisation of optimism within the resilience concept. Optimistic people have an outlook on life of looking at everything from the best side, actively overcoming challenges and thus improving their situation.

On the other hand, however, it should also be emphasised that the question of who was able to see the good side of the pandemic depended on the socio-demographic characteristics and life situation of the people. In this context, Figure 3 shows the results of a multivariate analysis of the question of which people agreed more strongly with this statement. It can be seen that, on the one hand, it was those who had a relatively high time budget (part-time employees and those not actively employed) as well as those who were able to pursue their work at least partially in a home office. Other resources such as a high income, high level of education, social support and religiosity were also associated with a more positive view of the pandemic, while health limitations were associated with a less positive view.

Fig. 3: Determinants of the ability to also see good sides in the pandemic

Conclusion: what can be learned from the Corona crisis for future crises?

Overall, the FReDA analyses on life satisfaction in the Corona crisis highlight a triad of factors that were protective in this crisis and may also be relevant for future crises:

• Family and good relationships
• Financial security
• Optimism

Families should be given special attention and support in times of crisis

The pandemic highlighted the importance of families for social cohesion. However, families experienced opposing effects: On the one hand, they were under greater strain during the pandemic-related school closures (Ludwig-Walz et al. 2023); here, children's rights should be given greater consideration in the future (Fegert et al. 2023). On the other hand, family cohesion strengthens especially in times of crisis, as shown by the FReDA findings on life satisfaction among families.

In the family, many worries are discussed and problems are solved, especially between different generations. Therefore, it is important that families are strengthened, especially in conflict situations: for this purpose, target group-specific measures are recommended, e.g. strengthening the staffing in day-care centres, expanding school social work and family counselling centres. Low-threshold access for socially disadvantaged families must also be considered.

Introduce financial security measures at an early stage

In times of crisis, low financial worries are a necessary precondition for having a comparatively high level of life satisfaction. This applies in particular to the lower third of the income spectrum. Policy measures such as short-time allowances, which were widely used at the beginning of the pandemic, have helped to cushion financial worries or job fears in many cases. The early communication of these measures was also helpful. However, these measures were apparently not able to provide sufficient support to all families.

People at risk of financial distress in crises therefore need special attention, most recently with the financial challenges resulting from increased energy prices and overall high inflation. The gas price brake can be seen as a step in this direction.

Seeing opportunities even in crises and allowing for optimism

Resilience through optimism means that looking at other aspects of life can help in crises. On the one hand, this is a question of attitude and personality. On the other hand, new opportunities also arise in crises. During the pandemic, for example, the more frequent use of home offices relieved the pressure on many people for whom it was professionally possible.

But politics can also contribute to opportunities for positive experiences during crises. For example, in the energy crisis resulting from the Ukraine war, the 9-euro ticket contributed to positive headlines and experiences. In this context, strengthening public transport and railways can both address the war-related energy shortage and serve climate protection. The communication of supportive political measures - also in the sense of a narrative of coming out of the crisis well together - can show ways of overcoming the challenges in a crisis and contribute to optimism.

Literature

Bujard, M; Driesch, E; Ruckdeschel, K; Laß, I; Thönnissen, C; Schumann, A; Schneider, NF (2021): Burdens of children, adolescents and parents in the Corona pandemic. BiB.Population.Studies 2/2021.

Bujard, M, Gummer, T, Hank, K, Neyer, FJ, Pollak, R, Schneider, NF, Spieß, CK, Wolf, C et al. (2023): FReDA - The German Family Demography Panel Study (Study No. ZA7777; Data File Version 2.0.0). GESIS. http://dx.doi.org/10.4232/1.14065

Federal Centre for Health Education (2012): Resilience and psychological protective factors in adulthood. Research and practice in health promotion. Vol. 43.

Fegert, JM; Ludwig-Walz, H; Witt, A; Bujard, M (2023): Children's rights and restrictive measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Mental Health 17, 75.

Huebener, M; Waights, S; Spiess, CK; Siegel, N; Wagner, GG (2021): Parental Well-Being in Times of Covid-19 in Germany. Review of Economics of the Household 81, 91-122.

Ludwig-Walz, H; Dannheim, I; Pfadenhauer, LM; Fegert, JM; Bujard, M (2023): Anxiety increased among children and adolescents during pandemic-related school closures in Europe. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Mental Health 17, 74.

Racine, N; Eirich, R; Cooke, J; Zhu, J; Pador, P; Dunnewold, N; Madigan, S (2022): When the Bough Breaks. Infant Mental Health Journal 43, 36-54.

Schneider, NF; Bujard, M; Wolf, C; Gummer, T; Hank, K; Neyer, F (2021): Family Research and Demographic Analysis (FReDA). Comparative Population Studies 46, 149-186.