ArticlePloS one2021
The good, the bad and the ugly of lockdowns during Covid-19.
Article in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 49 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
49 citing papers in PubMed.
- "Journal of ageing and longevity · 2025Article
- Uptake, Acceptability, and Results of SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Rapid Diagnostic Testing in Community Settings in Cameroon.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2025Article
- Community Perceptions and Experiences of the South African Government's Response to the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Johannesburg, South Africa.Social and health sciences · 2024Article
- Social Determinants of COVID-19 Pandemic Control: Participatory Learnings From Everyday Experiences in Cape Town, South Africa.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2024Article
- Factors that influence happiness of nursing students according to COVID-19 infection status.BMC nursing · 2024Article
- Pregnant and postpartum women's experiences of the indirect impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in high-income countries: a qualitative evidence synthesis.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2024Article
- Psychological distress among South African healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.Curationis · 2024Article
- Level of happiness and its association with food literacy among Seoul citizens: results from Seoul Food Survey 2021.Nutrition research and practice · 2024Article
- Reactions to macro-level shocks and re-examination of adaptation theory using Big Data.PloS one · 2024Article
- The socioeconomic impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on families affected by childhood respiratory illnesses in Cape Town, South Africa.PLOS global public health · 2024Article
- Radiographers' conceptualisation of trauma imaging in Gauteng, South Africa.Health SA = SA Gesondheid · 2024Article
- An Examination of Coping Strategies that Moderated the Effects of COVID-19-Related Stress on Anxiety Among Older Adults in Aotearoa/NZ.Journal of aging and health · 2023Article
- Three years of COVID-19 and life satisfaction in Europe: A macro view.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2023Article
- Gender Differences of the Effect of Vaccination on Perceptions of COVID-19 and Mental Health in Japan.Vaccines · 2023Article
- Association between the COVID-19 Vaccine and Preventive Behaviors: Panel Data Analysis from Japan.Vaccines · 2023Article
- Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health and Socioeconomic Aspects in Greece.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Reflections of volunteer counselors working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic-Implications for policy and practice.Journal of nursing scholarship : an official publication of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing · 2023Article
- Editorial: Special Issue on Subjective Well-being and Mental Health in the Early Days of COVID-19.Applied research in quality of life · 2023Article
- Happily Distant or Bitter Medicine? The Impact of Social Distancing Preferences, Behavior, and Emotional Costs on Subjective Wellbeing During the Epidemic.Applied research in quality of life · 2023Article
- Cultural values and changes in happiness in 78 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic: An analysis of data from the World Happiness Reports.Frontiers in psychology · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Amidst the rapid global spread of Covid-19, many governments enforced country-wide lockdowns, with likely severe well-being consequences. In this regard, South Africa is an extreme case suffering from low levels of well-being, but at the same time enforcing very strict lockdown regulations. In this study, we analyse the causal effect of a lockdown and consequently, the determinants of happiness during the aforementioned. A difference-in-difference approach is used to make causal inferences on the lockdown effect on happiness, and an OLS estimation investigates the determinants of happiness after lockdown. The results show that the lockdown had a significant and negative impact on happiness. In analysing the determinants of happiness after lockdown, we found that stay-at-home orders have positively impacted happiness during this period. On the other hand, other lockdown regulations such as a ban on alcohol sales, a fear of becoming unemployed and a greater reliance on social media have negative effects, culminating in a net loss in happiness. Interestingly, Covid-19, proxied by new deaths per day, had an inverted U-shape relationship with happiness. Seemingly people were, at the onset of Covid-19 positive and optimistic about the low fatality rates and the high recovery rates. However, as the pandemic progressed, they became more concerned, and this relationship changed and became negative, with peoples' happiness decreasing as the number of new deaths increased.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.