Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

November 5, 2020

Neighbourhood Income and Physical Distancing during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States

Category:

Topic:

Keywords (Tags): ,

  • A strong gradient between neighborhood-level income and physical distancing was observed from smartphone mobility data across the US in 210,288 census block groups from January to April 2020. Though there was an increase in proportion of smartphone users staying at home from all income levels around mid-March, the increase in number of days at home was substantially greater among individuals in high-income neighborhoods. Conversely, residents in low-income neighborhoods were more likely to work outside of home than residents from high-income neighborhoods, highlighting barriers to implementing physical distancing in lower-income neighborhoods. However, non-work activities outside of home were similar by neighborhood income.

Jay et al. (Nov 3, 2020). Neighbourhood Income and Physical Distancing during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States. Nature Human Behaviour. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-020-00998-2