Survey Research Methods (2020) Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 141-145 doi:10.18148/srm/2020.v14i2.7742 © European Survey Research Association ISSN 1864-3361 http://www.surveymethods.org Identifying impacts of Covid-19 pandemic on vulnerable populations: a mixed-methods approach Diego R. de Moraes Silva Instituto Sivis Brazil Camila Mont’Alverne Instituto Sivis Brazil As the Corona-Crisis unfolds, scholars around the world realize that the social contexts in which its transmission occurs deserve special attention. In this context, one of the main con- cepts social scientists should consider to help tackling this crisis is vulnerability. This pa- per proposes a methodology to study vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 pandemic in the city of Curitiba, one of the main Brazilian metropolises. The proposed methodology encompasses three different strategies, in a mixed-methods approach: i. In-depth telephone interviews with vulnerable people and community leaders who work with them; ii. Online surveys with the city’s general population; iii. Focus groups coupled with alternative scenarios methods involving key actors in the community life of the city. In addition to the research findings themselves, our methodology also envisages fostering initiatives by public authorities and civil society to mitigate the effects of the pandemic over vulnerable populations. Keywords: COVID-19; mixed-methods; vulnerability; survey research; social capital 1 Introduction During pandemic outbreaks, such as those of SARS in 2003 and H1N1 in 2009, most attention from public author- ities is directed towards protecting members of the popula- tion who are at heightened risk for medical complications. However, it is also important to acknowledge vulnerability through the lens of the social determinants of health (Mikko- nen & Raphael, 2010). In fact, in the context of pandemics, there is a social gradient of risk based on social vulnera- bilities that are likely to lead to increased exposure to the contagion, risk of basic human needs not being met, insuffi- cient support, or inadequate treatment (O’Sullivan & Bour- goin, 2010). Therefore, pandemics are situated in a complex network of place-specific interactions between people, so- cial institutions, the physical environment, and the infectious agents (Mayer, 2000), and then demand a “Whole-Society- Approach” which extends beyond the medical sphere and considers broader psychosocial and socio-economic impacts (WHO, 2009). Within the new COVID-19 pandemic context, we are about to witness again the utmost importance of social fac- tors for human health. As the Corona-Crisis unfolds, we real- ize more clearly that, although epidemiological analysis and diffusion modeling shed some light on the spatial and tem- poral dynamics of pandemics, they fail to address the social Contact information: Diego Moraes, Institutio Sivis, Rua Maurí- cio Caillet 47, 80250-110 Curitiba-PR, Brazil (diego@sivis.org.br) and political-economic contexts in which transmission oc- curs (Kissler, Tedijanto, Goldstein, Grad, & Lipsitch, 2020; McLafferty, 2010). One of the main concepts social scientists should consider to offer a significant contribution in tackling this crisis is vulnerability, that could be understood as the ability to re- sist, cope with, and recover from external stresses (McLaf- ferty, 2010). Although vulnerability is strongly associated with poverty, during a pandemic outbreak it will be a result of the interaction between social determinants of health that goes beyond poor people. They include those who experi- ence social disadvantage (such as financial insecurity and the absence of a social safety net), have low literacy levels, are coping with addictions, have functional limitations influenc- ing their ability to live independently and meet daily basic needs, among others (Alwang, Siegel, & Jorgensen, 2001; Delor & Hubert, 2000; O’Sullivan & Bourgoin, 2010). Even though the entire population must receive health and social care during a pandemic crisis, we argue that vulnerable people deserve special attention, considering they have even less access to resources to face such a situation. Therefore, we put forth herein a research design to study vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. More specifically, we will address as a case study the vulnerable citizens of Curitiba, one of the main Brazilian metropolises. This city was chosen because our research takes place within the activities of the “Cidade da Gente Program”, which is a civil society program that seeks to unite the community leaders of Curitiba to create a legitimate and effective collab- orative platform for enhancing the city’s democratic culture. 141