In the spring of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic created large-scale disruptions in American society almost overnight. Yet the federal government provided little coordination or guidance in the face of the crisis. State and local governments found themselves primarily responsible for enacting policies and communicating information about the virus with the public,resulting in a wide variety of responses to the pandemic, including in public health recommendations and mandates. In this issue of RSF sociologist Beth Redbird, political scientist Laurel Harbridge-Yong, communications expert Rachel Davis Mersey, and an interdisciplinary group of contributors explore how social and political factors shaped the initial responses to the pandemic and how this impacted individuals and communities.
 
The 11 articles in this issue examine how information about the pandemic was disseminated, the disparate impacts of COVID-19 on different groups, and the government’s response to the pandemic. Courtney Page-Tan and colleagues find that people who relied on information from close social networks and trusted formal institutions, such as the CDC, were more likely to engage in behavior aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19, such as staying home and avoiding crowded areas. Laura E. Evans and colleagues find that while Native Americans were disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, states in which Native Americans had greater representation and political power in state politics saw fewer COVID-19 cases on tribal lands. They also find that there were fewer COVID-19 cases on tribal lands with strong networks of community-based and tribally controlled health facilities. Claire Kamp Dush and colleagues find that individuals who identify as non-White or non-heterosexual experienced higher levels of COVID-19 stress and racial trauma stress, both of which are associated with poorer mental health outcomes. Sarah James and colleagues find that state variation in the collection and publication of COVID-19 data reflected state capacity. Yet the main driver of variation in state policy response and implementation of mitigation measures was primarily partisanship. Elizabeth Suhay and colleagues find that trust in federal, state, and local government all fell during the first year of the pandemic. However, individuals with more trust in state government and local health officials were more likely to engage in protective health behaviors, while those with higher trust in the federal government were less likely to engage in such behaviors.
 
While the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic will continue for years to come, this volume of RSF begins the investigation into how the pandemic has altered social, cultural, and political dynamics in American society.
 

BETH REDBIRD is Assistant Professor of Sociology, Northwestern University
LAUREL HARBRIDGE-YONG is Associate Professor of Political Science, Northwestern University
RACHEL DAVIS MERSEY is Jesse H. Jones Centennial Professor, University of Texas at Austin

CONTRIBUTORS
Kat Albrecht, Daniel P. Aldrich, Loretta Auvil, Miranda N. Berrigan, Eamon Bracht, Rachel Brahinsky, Andrew Burns, Alison K. Cohen, Kathleen M. Coll, Miranda P. Dotson, Cheryl Ellenwood, Laura E. Evans, Raymond Foxworth, Rachel R. Hardeman, Brant Houston, Sarah James, Claire M. Kamp Dush, Kevin T. Leicht, Tammy Leonard, Wendy D. Manning, Dave E. Marcotte, Summer Marion, Courtney Page-Tan, Emily Pears, Claudia Persico, Carla Pezzia, Magda C. Rogg, Carmela M. Roybal, Gabriel R. Sanchez, Theda Skocpol, Aparna Soni, Elizabeth Suhay, Emily Sydnor, Caroline Tervo, Joseph Yun