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‘They Should have been Looking after People for a Long Time’: Human Giving and Generosity During COVID-19, in Austerity Britain

Author

Listed:
  • Liz McDonnell

    (University of Sussex, UK)

  • Amy Clarke

    (University of Brighton, UK)

  • Alison Phipps

    (Newcastle University, UK)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic mobilised a multitude of acts of giving and generosity. This article provides a snapshot of giving and generosity among a small sample of individuals in the UK, in a context following years of ungenerous austerity politics. Giving and generous actions played a crucial role in mitigating the negative effects of COVID and we report on data collected using in-depth interviews to understand experiences of giving and generosity. We conceptualise giving and generosity as pro-social or other-focused actions that involve sharing of resources, underpinned by a crossing of the hyphen between self and other. This article explores the ways in which participants were mobilised by perceived social and political injustices and thus we offer a different understanding of giving and generosity as micro-activism that is done with a critical eye turned towards the macro context.

Suggested Citation

  • Liz McDonnell & Amy Clarke & Alison Phipps, 2025. "‘They Should have been Looking after People for a Long Time’: Human Giving and Generosity During COVID-19, in Austerity Britain," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 30(1), pages 43-58, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:socres:v:30:y:2025:i:1:p:43-58
    DOI: 10.1177/13607804241235715
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