Socioeconomic-Related Inequalities in COVID-19 Vulnerability in South Africa

Muna Shifa, David Gordon, Murray Leibbrandt and Mary Zhang ()
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Muna Shifa: Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7700, South Africa
David Gordon: School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TH, UK
Mary Zhang: Oxford School of Global and Area Studies, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6LH, UK

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 17, 1-20

Abstract: Individuals’ vulnerability to the risk of COVID-19 infection varies due to their health, socioeconomic, and living circumstances, which also affect the effectiveness of implementing non-pharmacological interventions (NPIs). In this study, we analysed socioeconomic-related inequalities in COVID-19 vulnerability using data from the nationally representative South African General Household Survey 2019. We developed a COVID-19 vulnerability index, which includes health and social risk factors for COVID-19 exposure and susceptibility. The concentration curve and concentration index were used to measure socioeconomic-related inequalities in COVID-19 vulnerability. Recentred influence function regression was then utilised to decompose factors that explain the socioeconomic-related inequalities in COVID-19 vulnerability. The concentration index estimates were all negative and highly significant ( p < 0.01), indicating that vulnerability to COVID-19 was more concentrated among the poor. According to the decomposition analysis, higher income and education significantly ( p < 0.01) positively impacted lowering socioeconomic-related COVID-19 vulnerability. Living in an urban region, being Black, and old all had significant ( p < 0.01) positive impacts on increasing socioeconomic-related COVID-19 vulnerability. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of socially defined COVID-19-vulnerable populations in South Africa and the implications for future pandemic preparedness plans.

Keywords: COVID-19; infection prevention; vulnerability index; inequality; concentration index; South Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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