The Effects of Group Closure and Organizational Network Ties in Closed Populations During a Pandemic

In this project, the prevalence of COVID-19 related health information and misinformation and social distancing and isolation practices within closed religious communities is examined. Past research identifies closed religious communities as high-risk sites for the spread of infectious diseases, which can have outsized impacts on public health. This study examines whether group closure and cohesive organizational network ties are associated with an increased prevalence of health misinformation and a reduced prevalence of social distancing and isolation practices. Findings provide information valuable for informing health interventions within these communities and public health decision making more generally.

In this project, COVID-19-related behaviors in closed religious communities are studied through combining four sources of data. First, published scribe reports by congregational members are analyzed for COVID-19 related information and social distancing and isolation content. Second, data are collected from congregational directories. Third, COVID-19-related official instructions are gathered and tracked over time. Fourth, county health district data on COVID-19 incidence over time are collected. These data sources are integrated and analyzed to identify factors associated with COVID-19-related health information and misinformation and behaviors and inform theories within the sociology of health, social networks, and sociology of religion subfields. This project is jointly funded by the Sociology Program, the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), and the Human Networks and Data Science Program (HNDS).

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.