Social interventions in times of crisis: Community perceptions of integrating social determinants and equity into the COVID-19 response

In the wake of the 2020 crisis, scientific and governmental authorities sought to formally integrate social determinants and equity into the COVID-19 pandemic response. This article offers an empirical examination of COVID-19 social interventions presented as equitable with how stratified communities experienced these measures on the ground. We combine qualitative findings from a content analysis of State of California equity policies (n = 12) on housing security, economic relief, and essential workforce with semi-structured interviews (n = 79) conducted across three structurally unequal communities in Los Angeles and Orange County. Based on inductive analyses of our combined data sources, we find significant gaps between formal equity measures and community perceptions of social interventions. While government officials introduced novel housing and economic relief programs, both low-income and affluent communities interpreted these in reference to the pandemic as well as the pre-pandemic status quo. In South Central LA and Santa Ana, two low-income, racialized communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, such measures were perceived as offering material support but were at times questioned as genuine change in policy priorities. In Huntington Beach, a major site of conservative organizing against early COVID-19 restrictions, such programs received mixed support and critique but were rarely considered in the context of addressing inequities. While social interventions may offer material support in times of crisis, our research shows how such measures also risk upholding deeper structural inequities of normal United States society.