interpreted as averages of country averages, intended to represent a global picture of country experiences rather than the story of global population aggregates. The same approach to weighting is used for all regression analysis.

To keep the analysis tractable, we present descriptive statistics for three time periods broadly based on different stages of the pandemic, as shown in Figure 2, and the timing of surveys (Figure A1.3). The first period from April 2020 to June 2020 represents the initial impact of the pandemic, marked by stringent policy measures in many countries including lockdowns and school closures, as captured by the Oxford Covid-19 Government Response Tracker (OxCGRT) stringency index.<sup>10</sup> This corresponds with a substantial decrease in visits to workplaces and transit stations, while people spent more time in residential areas, as reflected in Google Community Mobility data. The second period, July 2020 to December 2020, is characterized by a gradual withdrawal of some containment measures and increased mobility following the initial shock, though there are regional differences. The third period covering 2021 is distinguished by stalled progress in many countries, with little change in policy stringency on aggregate, but some return to normal levels of mobility. More significant differences emerge between regions and countries in this latter period (Figure A1.4).

When countries fielded multiple surveys within one of these time periods, we select a single survey to include in the calculation of summary statistics for each period (Figure A1.3). For the initial period, we choose the survey month corresponding with the highest stringency index to measure peak welfare impacts at the onset of the pandemic. To look at subsequent recovery in welfare and employment outcomes, we use the survey month corresponding to the lowest stringency index in the second half of 2020, and the most recent survey collected in 2021 for the third period.<sup>11</sup> For employment outcomes, the sample is restricted to households in which the respondent was between 18 and 64 years old, since employment questions were only asked of the respondent. Survey waves were only included in the calculation of summary statistics if the indicator had a response rate of at least 50 percent. Table 2 describes welfare outcomes of interest related to employment, income, food security, assistance, and coping strategies. Annex 2 provides more detail on the construction of these indicators.

> challenging to use these for cross-country comparisons with countries without individual level weights.

> 10The OxCGRT stringency index records the strictness of ‘lockdown style’ policies that primarily restrict people’s behavior (Hale et al. 2021). It is calculated using 9 indicators including school closures; workplace closures; cancellation of public events; restrictions on public gatherings; closures of public transport; stayat-home requirements; public information campaigns; restrictions on internal movements; and international travel controls.

> 11The main findings from the descriptive analysis are consistent if we instead pool surveys within each period. The regression analysis does not compare across time periods and uses all HFPS rounds (countries are weighted equally).

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