The evolution of the association between community level social capital and COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations in the United States.

We use county level data from the United States to document the role of social capital the evolution of COVID-19 between January 2020 and January 2021. We find that social capital differentials in COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations depend on the dimension of social capital and the timeframe considered. Communities with higher levels of relational and cognitive social capital were especially successful in lowering COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations than communities with lower social capital between late March and early April.

Bowling together by bowling alone: Social capital and COVID-19.

Social capital describes the social bonds that exist within a community and comprises norms of reciprocity and trust as well as social relationships and social networks. We use data from counties in the United States to identify if community level responses to COVID-19 during the early phase of the pandemic (February 17 - May 10) depended on levels of social capital. We find that individuals who lived in counties with high levels of social capital reduced mobility faster than individuals living in counties with low levels of social capital and that they especially reduced mobility directed at retail and recreational activities, i.