Did Liberal Lockdown Policies Change Spatial Behaviour in Sweden? Mapping Daily Mobilities in Stockholm Using Mobile Phone Data During COVID-19


Shuttleworth I., Toger M., TÜRK U., Östh J.

Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy, vol.17, no.1, pp.345-369, 2024 (SSCI) identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 17 Issue: 1
  • Publication Date: 2024
  • Doi Number: 10.1007/s12061-023-09543-w
  • Journal Name: Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Geobase, PAIS International
  • Page Numbers: pp.345-369
  • Keywords: Big data, COVID19, Spatial mobility, Temporal analysis, Urban form
  • Abdullah Gül University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Sweden had the most liberal lockdown policies in Europe during the Covid-19 pandemic. Relying on individual responsibility and behavioural nudges, their effectiveness was questioned from the perspective of others who responded with legal restrictions on behaviour. In this study, using mobile phone data, we therefore examine daily spatial mobilities in Stockholm to understand how they changed during the pandemic from their pre-pandemic baseline given this background. The analysis demonstrates: that mobilities did indeed change but with some variations according to (a) the residential social composition of places and (b) their locations within the city; that the changes were long lasting; and that the average fall in spatial mobility across the whole was not caused by everybody moving less but instead by more people joining the group of those who stayed close to home. It showed, furthermore, that there were seasonal differences in spatial behaviour as well as those associated with major religious or national festivals. The analysis indicates the value of mobile phone data for spatially fine-grained mobility research but also shows its weaknesses, namely the lack of personal information on important covariates such as age, gender, and education.