Addressing Inclusivity in the Spatial and Social Impacts of COVID-19 on the Self-employed in the UK, 2020-2021

The project investigated the social and spatial consequences of the coronavirus crisis on the self- employed in the UK. The project comprises two elements. First is an extensive secondary analysis of nationally representative UK survey data. This allowed detailed analysis of self-employment before, during and after the lockdown, including exits from self-employment and the ability of the self-employed to maintain earnings levels. A particular focus was on gender as early analysis of the impact of this crisis suggested that women are particularly affected. The secondary data analysis was augmented with narratives from self-employed women and men in different regions in the UK. 30 semi-structured interviews were conducted with self-employed interviews. Of these, 15 were interviewed in November 2020. The remaining 15 interviews were conducted in February/March 2021 with individuals different to those in the first study period. The sample was stratified to cover a wide range of self-employed individuals by gender, age, eligibility for the Self-employment Income Support Scheme, sectors, education and region. Interviews were conducted online. Topics discussed included ease of access to government support, to bank finance and other sources of help, coping and recovery strategies and effectiveness of policy interventions. Interviews lasted about 30 minutes each.

本项目探究了新冠疫情危机对英国个体经营者（self-employed）带来的社会与空间维度影响。本项目包含两项核心研究内容：其一为针对具有全国代表性的英国调研数据展开的大规模二手分析，借此可对封锁政策实施前后及期间的个体经营状况开展精细化分析，涵盖个体经营退出行为与个体经营者维持收入水平的能力。本次研究特别聚焦于性别维度，因针对此次危机影响的早期分析显示女性群体受冲击尤为严重。本次二手数据分析还补充了来自英国不同地区的男女个体经营者的访谈叙事素材。研究共开展30场半结构化访谈，受访对象均为个体经营者，其中15场访谈于2020年11月完成，剩余15场则于2021年2月/3月开展，受访对象与第一阶段研究完全不同。本次抽样采用分层抽样策略，覆盖了不同性别、年龄、个体经营者收入支持计划（Self-employment Income Support Scheme）参保资格、行业、受教育程度与所在地区的各类个体经营者。所有访谈均以线上形式开展，涉及议题包括政府帮扶、银行融资及其他援助渠道的获取便捷性、应对与复苏策略，以及政策干预措施的实施效果，每场访谈时长约为30分钟。