Challenge 1: How Does the Pandemic Make Us Feel?

Learning Targets:

I can distinguish between social isolation and loneliness.
I can infer the design of a descriptive investigation based on information provided in infographics that present study findings.

Time Required: 45-60 minutes

Results from a 2018 study of loneliness presented in 2 “Loneliness in the Workplace” Infographics

Loneliness in the Workplace Fact sheet
Loneliness in the Workplace Infographic
- What does the infographic tell us about the level of loneliness prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic?
- How was “loneliness” measured in this investigation?
- What other variables (other than loneliness) were assessed by the questionnaire?
- What conclusions from the study are presented in this report?
- Only adults were subjects in this investigation. In what ways do you see its conclusions relating to you and high school students?

What are the differences between social isolation and loneliness? Discuss ways that social isolation can affect loneliness.
A research study surveyed the same group of people in February (before the pandemic), in mid March (at the beginning of the pandemic), and in late April (over a month into the pandemic) and did not find significant changes in loneliness.
- What would you hypothesize about these findings?
- Why do you think there were no significant changes in loneliness rates?
- What is your prediction about whether significant changes in loneliness rates exist now, many months into the pandemic?

Share your hypotheses about the changes in loneliness with the prolonged social isolation during COVID-19 pandemic.