Social Capital’s Impact on the COVID-19 Response in the US on a County-Level

This study investigates the impact of social capital on the United States COVID-19 response on a county-level. This paper examines the bonding versus bridging social capital distinction put forth by Putnam (2000) and the theories of Bourdieu (1986). Social capital variables are analyzed in respect to their outcome on the COVID-19 response characteristics of the willingness to wear a mask in public and social distancing during the pandemic. The most recent social capital (2014 and 2019), mask wearing (2020), and social distancing data (2020-21) is utilized to perform ordinary least squares regressions. I find that bonding social capital is negatively correlated with social distancing, and bridging social capital is positively correlated with social distancing. Also, that income equality is positively correlated with the willingness to wear a mask and social distancing. Educational equality was also found to be positively correlated with social distancing. Lastly, I find that educational equality is positively and negatively correlated with the willingness to wear a mask. If college educational attainment is held constant, we estimate educational equality to be negatively correlated and if high school educational attainment is held constant, we estimate educational equality to be positively correlated. Social capital is found have both a positive and negative impact on the COVID-19 response in the US, dependent on the form of social capital.