COVID-19 and Social Science | Five subprojects | Methodology of Social Sciences

The emergence and rapid spread of COVID-19 have transformed global society in myriad ways. Governments have closed borders and fought over vaccination resources, while global trade and supply chain infrastructures have suffered. At the domestic level, the importance of "social distancing" has forced us to reevaluate the centrality of human interactions in maintaining social relationships, while also provoking debates about acceptable levels of government intervention in private affairs. This project examines how individuals and societies have been affected by COVID-19, as well as how the pandemic has changed social science itself. We examine the social impact of COVID-19 through the five lenses of causes, spread, treatment, prevention, and social change. We utilize behavioral and survey data to examine how each has been influenced by core factors in social science, including political preferences, socioeconomic status, and mass versus social media. In addition, we study how social science itself has changed by surveying scholars on changes in their research themes and practices.

Some specific themes examined in this project include:

Public trust in science and scientific experts
Trust in local versus national governments, as well as domestic governments versus international organizations such as the WHO
Learning from mistakes: should similar disease outbreaks occur in the future, will people 1) wear masks more readily; 2) engage in panic buying of toilet paper and other necessary supplies; 3) shift to remote work; 4) be more willing to be vaccinated?
Discriminatory behavior: changes in prejudice towards health care workers, foreigners, young people

Ryuichi TANAKA・Kenneth Mori MCELWAIN

Members
Susumu CATO		[Institute of Social Science, University of Tokyo]
Sho FUJIHARA		[Institute of Social Science, University of Tokyo]
Taiyo FUKAI		[Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Tsukuba]
Masaaki HIGASHIJIMA	[Institute of Social Science, University of Tokyo]
Kenji ISHIDA		[Institute of Social Science, University of Tokyo]
Hirofumi KAWAGUCHI	[Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of the Ryukyus]
Keisuke KAWATA		[Institute of Social Science, University of Tokyo]
Ayako KONDO		[Institute of Social Science, University of Tokyo]
Zeyu LYU 		[Graduate School of Arts and Letters, Tohoku University]
Kenneth Mori MCELWAIN	[Institute of Social Science, University of Tokyo]*Leader
Kei NAKAJIMA		[Institute of Social Science, University of Tokyo]
Hiroharu SAITO		[Institute of Social Science, University of Tokyo]
Meredith Rose SHAW	[Institute of Social Science, University of Tokyo]
Yuya SHIBUYA		[Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies, University of Tokyo]
Kunihiro SHOJI		[Institute of Social Science, University of Tokyo]
Hiroki TAKIKAWA		[Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, University of Tokyo]
Ryuichi TANAKA		[Institute of Social Science, University of Tokyo]*Leader
Eric Gordon WEESE	[Institute of Social Science, University of Tokyo]

Activities

December 23, 2024Other Events: 11th meeting (COVID-19 and Social Science)
July 11, 2024Workshops: Workshop 33 : On Human Symbols: Does Anthropomorphizing Groups Increase In-Group Attachment?
July 3, 2024Workshops: Workshop 31：Dominance Through Division: Group-Based Clientelism in Japan
May 30, 2024Workshops: Workshop 30：Unexpected Handcuffs: How Open Bargains in Opposition Pre-Electoral Alliances Promote Political Instability and Authoritarian Comebacks
May 29, 2024Workshops: Workshop 29：Gender and Politics and Representation Paradox: Representing Women and Facing Electoral Disadvantage?
March 19, 2024Workshops: Workshop 22：The Good the Bad and the Ugly: The Psychology of the Internet
March 1, 2024Monographs: 『パンデミックと社会科学』
January 15, 2024Workshops: Workshop 25：Middle-Class Support for Encompassing Welfare: Self-Reinforcing Policy-Feedback
December 18, 2023Workshops: Workshop 23：When are 2 Observations Sufficient?: Revisiting the Method of Difference for Individual Treatment Effects
May 30, 2023Other Events: 10th meeting (COVID-19 and Social Science)
December 27, 2022Other Events: 9th meeting (COVID-19 and Social Science)
December 13, 2022Other Events: 8th meeting (COVID-19 and Social Science)
July 26, 2022Other Events: 7th meeting (COVID-19 and Social Science) Speaker：Zeyu LYU [University of Tokyo]
July 19, 2022Workshops: Workshop 12：Attitudes Towards Academia and University Education Since the COVID-19 Pandemic
May 30, 2022Other Events: 6th meeting (COVID-19 and Social Science)
April 25, 2022Other Events: 5th meeting (COVID-19 and Social Science)
December 7, 2021Other Events: 4th meeting (COVID-19 and Social Science)
November 18, 2021Workshops: Workshop 7：Use of Artificial Intelligence in Criminal Justice System: Experimental Evaluation
November 2, 2021Other Events: 3rd meeting (COVID-19 and Social Science)
October 19, 2021Workshops: Workshop 5：Field experiments in political communication research
September 30, 2021Other Events: 2nd meeting (COVID-19 and Social Science)
August 4, 2021Other Events: 1st meeting (COVID-19 and Social Science)
June 15, 2021Workshops: Workshop 3：Covid-19 and Output in Japan
January 19, 2021Workshops: Preliminary event "COVID-19 and social science"