Are The Bonds That Keep Society Together Unraveling Due To Social Distancing?
Ilana Horwitz, Tulane University
With birthday celebrations being downsized, religious services moving back online and indoor playdates getting canceled, millions of Americans are having fewer social interactions because of persistently high case numbers and high rates of transmission.
It’s not just interactions with friends and families that are getting cut. Routine yet beneficial interactions with people at fitness and child care centers and volunteer organizations are also being eliminated.
Social distancing is vital to combating COVID-19. But is it unraveling the social bonds that keep society together?
Social capital adds up
As a sociologist of religion and education, I study how Americans develop social ties, and how these social ties influence people’s lives. Scholars refer to re...