Project Overview
CALL FOR PROPOSALS: PNRR M4C2 Investment 1.2 Funding for Projects Submitted by Young Researchers – MUR Notice 201 of July 3, 2025, funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU
TITLE: Exploring Changes in Time Use and Happiness During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Time-Use Analysis (TU-COVID)
DURATION: 34 months from June 16, 2025, to April 15, 2028
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Prof. Rezart HOXHAJ
SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) OBJECTIVES: Goal 10: Reduce inequality; Goal 3: Good health; Goal 5: Gender Equality
PROJECT ID: MSCA2024_0000064 (CUP: D93C25000460007)
Brief description
The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant disruptions to daily routines, reshaping how individuals allocated their time and engaged in social interactions. This project, TU-COVID, investigates these shifts using a time-use approach to explore their impact on emotional well-being. The research focuses on two key questions:
(1) how time-use patterns changed during and after the pandemic.
(2) the mechanisms driving changes in daily happiness, with a particular focus on differences across gender and immigrant groups.
To address the first research question, the project applies parametric methods, using Probit models to estimate activity participation (extensive margin) and Tobit models to estimate time allocation (intensive margin). The identification of effects assumes that time-use patterns generally change gradually over time, with any sudden shifts attributed to the pandemic. Decomposition analysis is used to explore the second research question, measuring how changes in time allocation, perceived happiness, and social interactions influenced daily happiness.
