Analysis of Loneliness and Participation in Recreational Activities, Spirituality, Work, and School in East King County, Washington During the Covid-19 Lockdown

Abstract

Over the course of the COVID-19 Pandemic, researchers have examined how people adjusted to the conditions of social isolation. As a follow-up to those studies, it was investigated if, in King County Washington State, there was a correlation between people’s new level of participation in work/school, religious, or recreational activities during the March-May 2020 lockdown (in comparison to pre-pandemic levels) and how lonely they felt during that time. Two hundred fifty-two King County residents (aged 18 – 65 years old) were surveyed over the internet. They were asked about their level of participation in work/school, religious, and non-religious recreational activities, whether the activities were conducted in-person or virtually, and if the amount of participation was more or less than before the pandemic. Participants were collected through snowball sampling, starting with immediate friends, families, and colleagues. Based on previous studies, it was predicted that participants who engaged in religious and recreational activities would feel significantly less lonely, while those who had engaged in work and school activities would feel significantly lonelier. The only significant difference that was present was regarding recreational activity; people who participated at the same level of recreation as they had before the pandemic were significantly less lonely than those who participated in recreation at greater or lesser levels during the pandemic. This finding is important because it suggests that a balanced amount of recreation can alleviate loneliness and its impacts on factors such as depression, anxiety, poor mental functioning, decreased motivation, etc. This study also illustrates the importance of maintaining routines that lessen loneliness.