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Exploring wealth-based inequalities in the repercussions of COVID-19 mitigation measures on adolescents and young adults in Mexico

Silvana Larrea Schiavon, Population Council
Lina Lopez-Lalinde, Population Council
Juan Pablo Gutiérrez, National Autonomous University of Mexico
Isabel Vieitez, Population Council
René Nevárez, Population Council
Pablo López, Population Council
Nicole A. Haberland, Population Council
Cristina Mac Gregor, Population Council
Thoai Ngo, Population Council

The objective of this paper is to examine inequalities in the repercussions of COVID-19 mitigation measures and accompanying educational, economic, and social disruptions among adolescents and young adults in Mexico. We analyzed web-based surveys from the VOCES-19 study completed between November 2020 and February 2021 by 55,692 individuals aged 15-24 from all 32 Mexican states. We employed the Concentration Index (CI) and Slope Index of Inequality (SII) to measure socioeconomic inequalities across a variety of indicators grouped into five dimensions: 1) access to health care, 2) psychosocial well-being, 3) education and learning, 4) employment and family financial health, and 5) exposure to household and neighborhood violence. Individuals from wealthier households were more likely to be able to access and complete remote learning assignments and to report a consistent ability to make important household purchases throughout the pandemic. Further, economically advantaged individuals were less likely to report decreased access to health services or an increase in household and neighborhood violence during the pandemic. Young adults and adolescents from lower socioeconomic levels are disproportionately bearing the costs of educational, economic and social disruptions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting mitigation policies in Mexico.

Keywords: COVID-19, Children and youth, Inequality

See paper.

  Presented in Session 202. COVID-19 and Widening Inequalities