The Social Connectedness of Older Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence by Survey Mode and Respondent Dementia

Abstract

Objectives The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many aspects of social life, especially among older adults who may face cognitive impairments. Concerning this combination of circumstances, the study evaluates the degree to which data collection on social connectedness among older adults might be affected by the social complexities of the COVID-19 pandemic. Method We use data from the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project (NSHAP), a nationally representative study of community-dwelling older adults in the U.S., which conducted a special multi-mode COVID study between September 2020 and January 2021, in part to examine social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and to assess how alternative survey modes performed during the pandemic. Our final sample includes 2,251 older adults, ages 55 and older. Results Older adults’ social connectedness was adversely affected by the pandemic. People reported a tendency to move toward electronic communication and away from in-person contact. Concomitantly, there is some evidence of survey mode effects that are related to electronic communication. Those who elected to participate on the phone, or the internet disproportionately reported using those means of communication with their social network members. Notably, this pattern was stronger among those who did not suffer from dementia, suggesting cognition effects on survey completion. Discussion Researchers should remain cognizant of how data on social connections were collected during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings may indicate the role dementia plays in preventing people from adapting to new social networking realities with alternative means of communication during the pandemic.