Money, social networks, and access to information are resources that are frequently available to privileged groups or classes in society, helping them weather tough times and adversity. Drawing on interviews with families conducted before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, “The Privilege of Protection During the Pandemic” shows how middle-class households leveraged existing advantages to remain safer, healthier, and more secure amid widespread uncertainty.
Writing in the Spring 2026 issue of Contexts, a public-facing magazine from the American Sociological Association (ASA), sociologist Joslyn Brenton (Ithaca College) finds that middle-class families relied on what sociologists call “flexible resources”—including knowledge, social networks, and financial security—to anticipate risks, access reliable information, and take preventive action. Their freezers and pantries were already full; they were well educated and well read; and they had jobs that could easily be done from home. These advantages allowed them to prepare and manage the costs of health protection.
In the article, Brenton also introduces a less commonly recognized factor: land as a health resource. Access to private outdoor space, such as backyards, gardens, and larger homes, enabled families to maintain physical and mental well-being while safely distancing from others during the pandemic. In contrast, those without such space faced greater challenges to health and safety.
“The privilege of having discretionary income, social networks, and land access meant that the middle class experienced the pandemic with more material comfort and safety than those who were low-income,” Brenton wrote. “Expressions of being ‘fortunate,’ ‘lucky,’ or ‘blessed’ were both a genuine response and an admission that others weren’t so lucky. These phrases acknowledged the presence of disadvantage while emotionally distancing oneself from culpability or acknowledgment of how privilege is accrued and maintained.”
Brenton concludes by calling for stronger social policies, including expanded economic supports, improved access to community networks, and equitable housing and urban planning. Such measures, Brenton argues, are essential to ensuring that health and safety are not determined by privilege in future crises.
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