The Centre for Trust Peace and Social Relations Response to COVID-19
Like research communities around the world, CTPSR is adapting and responding to the challenges of Covid-19, both in how we conduct our research and the topics we focus on.
Practical assistance provided
Expert evidence to support UK government response to Covid-19
A number of CTPSR staff are included in the UK government’s Covid-19 Parliamentary Expert Database to provide insights and evidence that can inform responses and preparations for longer term challenges.
FabLab create urgently needed PPE
The Team at FabLab Coventry are responding to calls from frontline staff by making PPE equipment for local NHS providers and front line staff. The team have produced and delivered surgical mask strap adaptations to local nurses working on the front line, which help to reduce pressure on ears from wearing masks for prolonged periods of time. Straps are made from materials which would otherwise go to waste. Find out more.
Research projects
CTPSR’s researchers are using their social science expertise in working to understand the social consequences of the pandemic.
Coping with Covid
Dr Miguel Farias and Dr Valerie van Mulukom from Coventry University are working with researchers from University of Oxford and University of Amsterdam, to understand how people are coping with the Covid-19 pandemic. The research focuses on examining what factors lead to better outcomes for individuals and societies during and following the global coronavirus pandemic, with particular focus on coping mechanisms and aspects of mental health. After one month of data collection, the online survey has received 8,105 responses from 82 different countries, and analysis is now in progress.
Technology adoption: the case of coronavirus
Researchers across Coventry University are conducting research to understand individuals’ attitudes, values and emotions towards digital technology for remote working (‘e-working’) during the coronavirus pandemic. The aim is to support Coventry University to support its employees while e-working and therefore improve working experience, as well as generate new academic knowledge. The CTPSR research team are Professor Ann-Marie Nienaber, Dr Charis Rice, Professor Mike Hardy and Professor Gavin Sullivan.
Commentary and reflections
Professor Heaven Crawley has written a blog: The great amplifier: COVID-19, migration and inequality, outlining the argument that Covid19 is not the ‘great equaliser’ that some have claimed but rather an amplifier of existing inequalities, including those associated with migration.
Dr Charis Rice has reflected on political public relations and the benevolence gap during the pandemic, with insights from Northern Ireland’s experience. The pandemic has brought drastic changes to everyday life and with anxiety rife, trust between individuals and between citizens and their governments is at a premium.
Dr Fabio Carbone has written about the impact of COVID-19 on tourism and the chance to re-think our responsibility towards the natural and sociocultural impact on destinations.
Ways of working
CTPSR is now working entirely remotely, and maintaining a strong research community through virtual meetings and online interactions. We have applied our blended learning to our doctoral research programmes and a CTPSR student had the University’s first ever virtual PhD viva in March.
Staff are concentrating on writing and bid development, with a record number of bids submitted in the month since lockdown. Some staff are revisiting their research methods for live projects, especially where face-to-face interviews or focus groups with participants were planned. CTPSR has developed a toolkit of alternative methods that can be used to conduct research at a distance, also benefitting our doctoral students who are trying to keep their research on track.
