ABOUT THIS PROJECT

The US. National Pandemic Emotional Impact Report is a collaborative research project between health psychology researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Harvard Medical School. It summarizes the findings of a nationwide U.S. Internet survey that was carried out in the last two weeks of May of 2020 to assess the emotional impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and related changes in society on the American adult population.

The survey was designed to be nationally representative in regard to major demographic parameters: The survey sample is practically identical to the overall U.S. adult population in sex and age group composition, regional distribution, relative representation of major race/ethnic minority groups (blacks and Hispanics/Latinos), and education level (% with college degree). The survey contained a number of psychological measures of emotional well-being and life functioning, including a new 16-question Pandemic Emotional Impact Scale (PEIS) developed by the researchers. The PEIS enabled assessment of a broad range of different specific effects of the pandemic on people's emotional functioning. Due to the nationally representative nature of the survey sample and the detailed information on emotional effects collected in this project, the findings represent one of the best sources for information available to date about how people in the U.S. population have been psychologically affected by the pandemic.

The descriptive report that is available for download on this website details these findings both in regard to effects on the overall population and as to how different segments of the population have been differently impacted.

This project is a part of an ongoing series of research studies lead by Dr. Olafur Palsson at the University of North Carolina that investigates the role of specific psychological factors that make some individuals more vulnerable than others to experiencing adverse mental and physical effects in stressful situations. The investigators plan to follow the public report on the emotional impact of the pandemic available on this site by publication of papers in scientific journals on this topic over the coming year.

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ABOUT THIS PROJECT

The US. National Pandemic Emotional Impact Report is a collaborative research project between health psychology researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Harvard Medical School. It summarizes the findings of a nationwide U.S. Internet survey that was carried out in the last two weeks of May of 2020 to assess the emotional impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and related changes in society on the American adult population.

The survey was designed to be nationally representative in regard to major demographic parameters: The survey sample is practically identical to the overall U.S. adult population in sex and age group composition, regional distribution, relative representation of major race/ethnic minority groups (blacks and Hispanics/Latinos), and education level (% with college degree). The survey contained a number of psychological measures of emotional well-being and life functioning, including a new 16-question Pandemic Emotional Impact Scale (PEIS) developed by the researchers. The PEIS enabled assessment of a broad range of different specific effects of the pandemic on people's emotional functioning. Due to the nationally representative nature of the survey sample and the detailed information on emotional effects collected in this project, the findings represent one of the best sources for information available to date about how people in the U.S. population have been psychologically affected by the pandemic.

The descriptive report that is available for download on this website details these findings both in regard to effects on the overall population and as to how different segments of the population have been differently impacted.

This project is a part of an ongoing series of research studies lead by Dr. Olafur Palsson at the University of North Carolina that investigates the role of specific psychological factors that make some individuals more vulnerable than others to experiencing adverse mental and physical effects in stressful situations. The investigators plan to follow the public report on the emotional impact of the pandemic available on this site by publication of papers in scientific journals on this topic over the coming year.