(Online) Daily Experiences of Social Connection

Background

This was an online study about daily experiences of social connection with others conducted during and in the wake of the Victorian COVID restrictions.

Research Questions / Hypotheses

We aimed to see how much people were interacting with others, and how those interactions were associated with well-being in as restrictions were being lifted.

Participants

23 REP participants completed all three parts of the study.

Methods

Part 1 was an online survey. Part 2 involved short online surveys completed every day for 7 days. Part 3 involved an online survey at the end of the daily surveys.

Results

In general, people reported feeling more connected to other Victorians than to other University of Melbourne students. Most of the sample interacted with someone in person at least once per day although it was more common for people to have interacted with others digitally. Most participants reported trying to make others feel better in their interactions, whereas a minority of participants said that they tried to use others to improve their own well-being.

Implications

These early findings suggest that people may focus more on helping others than on using others to help themselves. This has implications for the offering and receiving of social support and understanding how this impacts on well-being.