A Win for the Middle Class? A Qualitative Study Mapping “Benefits” from the National Quarantine
Abstract
It is becoming increasingly apparent that the life situation in groups of different social status is affected to a dissimilar degree by the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on data collected through online individual in-depth interviews conducted in March 2020 as the first wave of a broader qualitative longitudinal research project, we present certain unobvious benefits of the spring quarantine noticed by members of the Polish middle class. These gains were mapped across four spheres: more time and regeneration; attention to relationships; professional and skills development; and space for reflection with a global perspective. It has been demonstrated that, despite a sense of destabilisation and uncertainty brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the middle class is making use of various kinds of capital for leverage, striving to manage the change and not passively succumb to it. Perception of the situation as serious, paired with concern for the health of loved ones, is not upsetting their general sense of comfort and appreciation of their personal, family, occupational and financial situation. Worries related to experiencing risk are balanced out by the requirement to self-regulate and be proactive.
Keywords
COVID-19; social class; social status; middle class; qualitative research
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SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6187-636X
SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6679-0365
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