Saint Michael’s College Researchers Study Vermont COVID-19 Messaging

Vermont’s communication strategy during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic is the subject of a five-year academic research project at Saint Michael’s College, where faculty and undergraduate students are analyzing speeches delivered by Gov. Phil Scott. Researchers are examining how the administration utilized concepts of social capital and community cohesion to guide public health behaviors when the virus emerged in March 2020.

• Multidisciplinary researchers at Saint Michael’s College are analyzing Governor Phil Scott’s March 2020 press conferences to understand public health communication effectiveness.
• The study investigates the role of social capital—community bonds and shared security—in driving public adherence to early pandemic mitigation guidelines.
• Undergraduate students are actively transcribing and coding video transcripts as part of the federally funded SOCKS project.

The Multidisciplinary Research Team and Grant Funding

The investigation operates as part of the University of Vermont’s broader Science of Online Corpora, Knowledge, and Stories (SOCKS) project. The initiative receives financial backing through Vermont EPSCoR, which stands for The Vermont Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. Sociology Professor Candas Pinar leads the project as the Primary Investigator, working alongside Computer Science Professor Bradford Demarest and Political Science and Public Health Professor Patricia Siplon. The research began with Pinar and Siplon partnering with former Saint Michael’s Criminology Professor Krista Billingsley.

Analyzing Public Addresses and Social Capital

During the summer months, undergraduate researchers joined the faculty to comb through transcripts of Gov. Phil Scott’s briefings, including those detailing the statewide “Stay Home, Stay Safe” initiative. Sociology Professor Candas Pinar stated that the team wanted to explore why Vermont achieved high compliance, noting that the state possesses a recognized, coherent sense of community. Pinar defined social capital as the connections and bonds between people that provide access to information and security. Health Science major Clara Hershey ’28, who joined the team, reviewed the academic literature to understand these sociological frameworks despite having no prior coursework in the discipline. Additional students, including Emily Gates ’27, Lavender Gaudette ’27, Maya Clough ’28, and Damascene Niyongere, contributed by collecting data and transcribing video archives into analyzable text formats.

Data Collection and Future Public Health Frameworks

Because archival transcripts of every press briefing did not exist in a unified digital corpus, the student researchers built the database from scratch by converting video recordings into text. Faculty members intend for the findings to offer empirical insights into how political leaders can effectively utilize existing community networks to mitigate public health emergencies in the future. As academic analysis of these historical corpora continues under the multi-year grant, investigators are mapping out how specific narratives influence population-level health behaviors.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for educational and scientific communication purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider regarding any medical condition, diagnosis, or treatment plan.