Conviviality-Inequality during the Pandemic: The Case of Berlin

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected conviviality and inequality in societies worldwide. This research article examines the dynamic interplay between these dimensions in Berlin, Germany, during the pandemic. The study’s main question explores how the relationship between inequality and conviviality evolved in the context of the pandemic and the correspondent containment measures. Four sub-questions address specific aspects: 1) the hierarchy of infection and disease trajectory based on access to protection, 2) the effects of containment measures on income, education, and well-being among various social groups, 3) changes in conviviality at the microlevel (households, neighbourhoods, etc.), and 4) shifts in virtual interaction and media usage during “social distancing”. The survey in Berlin involved 2,502 households and spanned three collection periods. Computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) was used, ensuring representative responses. The findings are analyzed through Goran Therborn’s three levels of analysis: resource, vital, and existential inequalities (Therborn 2013).