In the Life During COVID study, sixty mothers with school age children shared what life was like for them and their children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Participants completed mobile phone surveys every three days between February 2021 and September 2022.
Surveys assessed participants’ daily needs, health, employment, children and schooling, and concerns about COVID-19.


Thousands of surveys completed
- 7,637 out of 9,477 mobile surveys were completed
- Participants completed 130 surveys on average
- Some participants completed up to 190 surveys
- Participants were paid $7 for each survey completed
About participants
- On average, women were about 37 years old
- Most (69%) had two or more children living at home
- 61% reported good, very good, or excellent health
Employment and income
- Over half (59%) were essential workers
- 78% reported decreased household income during the pandemic
- 77% of workers reported decreased work hours during the pandemic
Children and schooling
- All mothers had school age children
- 14% had kids in preschool or daycare
- 64% had kids in elementary school
- 39% had kids in middle school
- 47% had kids in high school
- All mothers had children in remote schooling during the pandemic
