The field of solidarity in times of a pandemic: Results of an online survey in Hungary*

Abstract

Despite its central importance, solidarity is seldom analysed in a comprehensivemanner. Most related studies target only specific aspects of its complex mechanisms,such as the functioning of redistributive systems, the private networksand practices of care, or civil society. Our study aims at providing a comprehensiveanalysis by understanding solidarity as a field in Bourdieu’s sense: involvingsupportive interactions; competition for the related symbolic capital; illusiothat provides legitimate frames of deservingness and respectability; and habitusdepending on the broader structural position. To understand the contemporarysolidarity field of Hungary, these dimensions are mapped all at once in a unifiedframework: types of problems and needs of individuals; sources and perceptionsof received support; types of support provided to family members and friends;and finally, types of support provided to generalised others – these factors constitutethe dimensions of a cluster analysis that describes ideal-typical positions.The positions are analysed from the perspective of their structural backgroundand the related attitudes. From a sociological perspective, situations like the pandemicprovide a unique opportunity for analysing otherwise tacit patterns ofsolidarity. Besides this opportunity, the pandemic is also used as a comparativeframework: in the final section, the changes occurring in the various positionsare also overviewed to highlight the dynamics of the solidarity field.