During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a series of state and federal regulations to help stop the spread and lower the transmission. There has been little known about the actual economical and behavioral impacts of the pandemic on low-income groups. People with lower incomes rely more on daily incomes and usually work in industries that are shut down. Lower income Americans hit the hardest from the pandemic during 2020 with more than 46% had trouble paying bills and 56% are laid-off (Parker et al., 2020).
The disproportionate effect of COVID-19 on specific communities in the Unites States has been investigated by research (Clark et al., 2020). Stay-home orders has made different effects on population in the US including spending on food and mobility (Alexander & Karger, 2020). However, the change in spending and mobility behaviors is yet to be examined for specific demographics.
The objective of this project is to investigate the spending and movement patterns of low-income individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic using transactional and mobility big data. The project goal is to find spending and mobility clusters of people that are impacted the most during the global pandemic in the United States.
Spring Term (4.5 months)
Summer Term (2.5 months)