Social insecurity and varieties of family resilience strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic Tauchid Komara Yuda Department of Social Development and Welfare, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia and Department of Sociology and Social Policy, Lingnan University, Tuen Mun, Hong Kong, and Misbahul Munir Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics, Universitas Bangka Belitung, Bangka Belitung, Indonesia Abstract Purpose – This study is aimed at developing an understanding of the consequences of the pandemic on families’ socioeconomic resilience, and the strategies adopted by the families in overcoming social vulnerabilities amid uncertainty. Design/methodology/approach – The materials for this study consist of semi-structured interviews with 21 families spread across the South Sumatra Province, Indonesia. Families in the study represent four different income levels, namely very high, high, middle and low, and who also work in the informal sector. Each family has at least 1 or more members who fall into the vulnerable category (children, the elderly, people with disabilities unemployed or having potential economic vulnerability). Findings – Two main findings are outlined. Regardless of their socioeconomic status, many of the families analyzed adopted similar strategies to remain resilient. Among the strategies are classifying the urgency of purchasing consumer goods based on financial capacity rather than needs, leveraging digital economic opportunities as alternative sources of income, utilizing more extensive informal networks and going into debt. Another interesting finding shows that the pandemic, to some extent, has saved poor families from social insecurity. This is supported by evidence showing that social distancing measures during the pandemic have reduced the intensity of sociocultural activities, which require invited community members to contribute financially. The reduction of sociocultural activities in the community has provided more potential savings for the poor. Research limitations/implications – In this study, informants who provided information about their family conditions represent a major segment of the workforce and tend to be technologically savvy and younger, due to the use of Zoom as a platform for conducting interviews. Therefore, there may be a bias in the results. Another limitation is that since the interviewees were recommended by our social network in the fields, there is a risk of a distorted selection of participants. Originality/value – This study offers insights that are critical in helping to analyze family patterns in developing countries in mitigating the risks and uncertainties caused by COVID-19. In addition, the literature on social policy and development could benefit from further research on COVID-19 as an alternative driver to identify mechanisms that could bring about change that would result in “security.” Critical questions and limitations of this study are presented at the end of the paper to be responded to as future research agenda. Keywords Family resilience, Social welfare, Social insecurity, COVID-19, Indonesia Paper type Research paper 1. Introduction The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic around the world has had an impact not only on economic growth but also on other aspects of development. According to UNCTAD (2020), Social insecurity and resilience strategies The authors would like to thank the Department of Social Development and Welfare, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia; Department of Sociology and Social Policy, Lingnan University, Hong Kong SAR; and Research and Community-Engagement Center, Universitas Bangka Belitung, Indonesia for the support provided. The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/0144-333X.htm Received 6 August 2022 Revised 6 September 2022 11 September 2022 Accepted 12 September 2022 International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy © Emerald Publishing Limited 0144-333X DOI 10.1108/IJSSP-08-2022-0201