Coronavirus will test US's civic health too

The immediate concerns of the coronavirus are clear: an unprecedented health crisis and economic devastation. But it isn’t just hospitals and businesses feeling the strain. Civic and governing institutions will soon be severely tested – and that could pose a huge challenge to the robustness of American society as a whole.

The delicate balance of civic institutions – everything from local school boards and voluntary organizations to the media and local governments – and social trust is the mortar of democracy. Even before the virus struck, the United States has been afflicted by a growing civic fragility reflected in, for example,

We can see in developing countries, from sub-Saharan

In our research,

Civic fragility can in large part be associated with four key factors:

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Fractionalization: The degree to which polarization exists in a country, whether political, ethnic or religious.

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When these factors rate highly, not only does violence spike, but people are less likely to vote or join organizations outside family or ethnic associations.

The four factors also help anticipate civic discord, which can culminate in violence. Such rankings are not static. In the United States, concerns regarding

The impacts of coronavirus are likely to heighten such concerns.

The stronger the trust in institutions, from government to voluntary organizations, the more likely it is that social order can be maintained. States that have a higher level of social capital – that is, close-knit communities with active civic organizations – will find it easier to absorb the coming difficulties, including unemployment.

And the U.S. may have to do this in the face of possible bad-faith external actors. It is no surprise that

Furthermore, without

Not only are such blanket statements untrue, they do not get to the foundational issues of social trust and belonging. Hate groups and criminal entities, from the

The pandemic has created an atmosphere of anxiety and uncertainty about the economy, health care and employment. Uncertainty has multiple effects: When the cohesion of civic societies fray, it compounds problems of mental health and civic health. How robust a society is can be

Moving forward, we see a need to prioritize policies that build social trust and belonging. This is even more the case now with the monumental impacts of the coronavirus. It demands developing policies which involve active citizen and community participation that are not imposed from the top down, such as the recent

We believe both the political right and left need to do more to address our civic crisis. On the right, we need recognition that unfettered capitalism has shattered communities, from the local level on up. When

On the left, we see identity politics as damaging social trust and shared belonging across communities. Social capital, not just financial capital, must become the bottom line. American society is taking on increasing