The Covid and Care Research Group are a collective of anthropologists, primarily from the London School of Economics. We draw on a range of methods such as ethnography, network analysis, citizen science and participatory research to understand the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the networks of care that animate social life for people across the UK.  We explore issues related to gender, ethnicity, race, class and regional inequality. Our research group is collaborative in approach, and works with other disciplines, policy makers, community leaders and community groups across different locations to gain insights into these issues and to generate policy solutions and support local community initiatives.

We produce a range of outputs aimed at academic, public and policy-making audiences.

Our main findings report presents key findings from a 6-month ethnographic study on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on disadvantaged households and communities across the UK. This research involved in-depth interviews and multiple surveys with people across communities in the UK, with particular focus on a number of case studies of intersecting disadvantage. Crucially, our research has found that government policy can improve adherence to restrictions and reduce the negative impacts of the pandemic on disadvantaged communities by placing central importance on communities, social networks and households to the economy and social life. This would be the most effective way to increase public trust and adherence to Covid-19 measures, because it would recognise the suffering that communities have experienced and would build policy on the basis of what is most important to people – the thriving of their families and communities.

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