Stability of values and opinions during the COVID-19 crisis: panel study data from the Maldives

Abstract

The underlying assumption of the present COVID-19 crisis is that it can profoundly change the public values and opinions during its various phases leading to permanent societal and economic changes. This research is part of a longitudinal study of values in a crisis during the different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. The same set of respondents from the wave 1 of Values in Crisis (VIC) survey of May 2020 (n=1026) were invited to participate in wave 2 in November 2021, achieving a response rate of 60.0% (n=615). To check the stability of values, Kendall’s tau-b coefficient was used to estimate the correlation coefficient to measure the strength of association of selected variables. These include national pride, political orientation, faith, social trust, financial satisfaction, work-life balance, satisfaction with life and social relations, health, trust in institutions, and social cohesion. The main findings indicate that, during the two years of the crisis, values and opinions remained largely stable in the Maldives. The research concludes with reflections drawn and opens avenues for debate for social science practitioners expecting drastic changes in people’s values and opinions due to the COVID-19 crisis.