Demographic and Social Dimension of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Polish Cities: Excess Deaths and Residents’ Fears

Abstract

The aim of this article is to present the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on demographic facts and social opinions regarding life in Polish cities under conditions of an epidemic threat. We point out that the way of informing the public about the threat of the disease was conducive to causing moral panic, and the imposed top-down methods of protection against infection and treatment methods, which were uniform for all, brought negative effects in the form of increased mortality and excess deaths. In this article, we present statistical data on the deaths of city dwellers with more than 100,000 inhabitants and the results of public opinion polls on changes in the perception of satisfaction with life in the city and fears related to the risk of disease. The pandemic has contributed to a deterioration in both health (excess deaths, health debt) and the broader quality of life. Previously, living in a large city in Poland provided a number of economic, social, and health benefits. The period of the pandemic and the methods used to fight this threat, have created a situation of moral panic and change unfavorable for urban residents. Based on statistical data and survey research, we attempt to verify this thesis.