Coping Mechanisms and Quality of Life of Low-Income Households during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Empirical Evidence from Bangladesh

Abstract

It is well known that uncertainty and various measures implemented by the government, such as lockdown, social distancing, and travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, severely impacted low-income households in Bangladesh. This situation forced them to put forward various mechanisms to cope with the devastating situation caused by the pandemic. This paper focuses on the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on the quality of life (QoL) of low-income households, their survival coping mechanisms, and the impact of the coping mechanisms on their QoL. From 1 October 2021 to 30 December 2021, primary data from 1279 households were collected through online and offline surveys from different divisions of Bangladesh, and were used to analyze the income-generation, transfer, and cost-minimization practices adopted by the households during the pandemic. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 25 was utilized for data analysis. We employed multivariate and regression statistical techniques to achieve the study objectives. The investigation found that QoL declined significantly due to the COVID-19 crisis. The findings also confirmed that coping mechanisms adopted by households varied according to demographic characteristics, and the QoL deteriorated significantly more in those households that adopted more coping mechanisms relative to others, regardless of socio-demographic features. The findings emphasize the importance of recording grounded survey data to track and gather information on the QoL of low-income households during the pandemic, and of constructing evidence-based policy responses. Furthermore, the study contributes to enriching the existing literature on the impact of the corona pandemic, and can serve as a source for potential studies. This study contributes to a clearer picture of the effects of COVID-19 trauma. This survey-based empirical study provides an understanding of the initial micro-level effects of COVID-19 in Bangladesh. This study gives a synopsis of the extent to which Bangladeshi households adopted mechanisms to deal with the COVID-19 crisis and the effects of the adoption of these mechanisms on quality of life.