Mens & Maatschappij - Volume 96, Issue 2, 2021

Abstract More than a boost in political trust: Dutch public opinion during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dutch public opinion was largely characterized by a more positive outlook on society and politics. We give explanations for this rather positive spirit based on literature on earlier crises and we outline the changes in public opinion between January and April 2020 (u Read More

Abstract A polarization pandemic? Political polarization has been identified as a key societal risk of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. While various actors have expressed concern about extreme single-issue opinions, mass polarization may be characterized better as increasing association between various opinions. This could lead to deepening cleavages as new issues arise. We thus describe opinions surrounding the COVID Read More

Abstract Social capital as protection against the mental impact of COVID-19 The corona pandemic has a huge impact on the mental wellbeing of the Dutch population. This article, based on a large-scale internet survey (N = 22,696) on the social impact of COVID-19, firstly examines which social groups are most susceptible to the mental health impact of the virus. Secondly, we examine whether social capital provides prote Read More

Abstract Attitudes about gender and the care for small children before and after the first lockdown in the Netherlands The COVID-19 pandemic has led to major changes in the division of paid and unpaid work in many Dutch households. Before the pandemic, work-care patterns were relatively traditional in the majority of families in the Netherlands, with women performing more unpaid tasks and men more paid work. These pat Read More

Abstract Are we in this together? Changes in anti-immigrant sentiments before and during the COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic is posing a pathogen or even existential threat to people all across the globe. According to traditional literature, threat perceptions induce anti-immigrant sentiments, as ingroup identity and self-interest are strengthened at the expense of the outgroup. In this manuscript, we stud Read More