When COVID-19 struck in March 2020, Northwestern University political scientist James Druckman and a small group of social scientists from Harvard, Northeastern and Rutgers discussed navigating COVID’s impact on their work and lives. When California became the first state to lockdown, they decided to collaborate on a state- and federal-level survey which would make data available to the public on mask-wearing, remote learning, vaccinating, voting by mail and more. This first survey evolved into what is now The COVID States Project.
Over three years into the pandemic, Druckman and colleagues still meet weekly over Zoom. Their findings have been presented to state and federal officials, and have helped inform decisions related to public health and resource allocation.
Following the release of their 100th report, “Estimating Current Vaccine Rates,” Northwestern Now spoke with Druckman to find out what he has learned in the past three years, and what the future of the project may hold.
Read the full article on Northwestern Now.