Perceived Effects of Social Capital on Households’ Welfare During Crisis in Ondo State: Evidence From COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This study assessed the perceived effects of social capital on households’ welfare  during crises, using the COVID-19 pandemic in Ondo State as case study. A two-stage  sampling approach was applied to gather data from 120 households via interview  schedules. Data on socio-economic characteristics, group membership, reasons for  joining associations, welfare services accessed during the crisis, and the perceived  effects of social capital were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests and  PPMC. Results showed that most respondents were female, married (93.3%), and in  their productive years (mean age of 50), with 98.3% having formal education. A large  majority (86.7%) belonged to at least one association; mainly cooperative societies  (53.3%) and religious groups (20.8%), joining primarily to improve household  welfare (ⴟ = 5.50), benefit their community (ⴟ = 3.42), and increase income (ⴟ =  2.67). During the pandemic, 59.2% received support from their associations, with  credit/loans (ⴟ = 4.17), food supplies (ⴟ = 3.42), information (ⴟ = 3.33), and hand  sanitizer (ⴟ = 3.00) being most accessed. The most valued effects of social capital  were access to information (ⴟ = 3.82), provision of sanitizer (ⴟ = 3.74), and financial  assistance (ⴟ = 3.68). Chi-square results indicated significant relationships between  age, education, household size, occupation, and coping strategies (p < 0.05). The  PPMC result (r = 0.530, p = 0.033) confirmed a significant relationship between  welfare services accessed and perceived effects of social capital. The study concludes  that social capital positively influenced welfare during COVID-19 and recommends  promoting strong social networks through targeted awareness initiatives.