Abstract for: Supporting government in understanding the societal impact of the corona pandemic

The effects of the corona pandemic are felt across society. Besides health effects, the crisis impacts mental health, work, income, education, safety and many more domains. The virus, policies and societal response make it challenging for policymakers to form an understanding of the societal impact of the crisis. In the fall of 2020, a joint group of Dutch ministries and municipalities approached TNO to develop insight into the impact of the corona crisis and interdependence between social effects (Veldhuis, Smits-Clijsen, van Waas, 2021) . We aimed to use the latest knowledge from central government, local government, researchers, and other stakeholders in an integrative model of the social impact of the pandemic on the Dutch society. Online group model building sessions were used in tandem with a synthesis of a wide range of studies and data sources. The resulting model and report structured available knowledge in seven domains, ten focus areas for policy and twelve risk factors for identifying vulnerable persons. One of the key outcomes of the model was a much clearer perspective on the diversity of risk factors that contributed to how the pandemic affected certain citizens more than others.