COVID-19 as a Non-Traditional Security Stressor: Multidimensional Social Vulnerability in a Plural Urban Community in Malaysia

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated how a public-health emergency can extend beyond the health sector and disrupt livelihoods, social relations, everyday routines, and psychological well-being. This article examines how COVID-19, conceptualised as a non-traditional security (NTS) threat, generated multidimensional social vulnerability within a plural urban community in Malaysia. A qualitative case-study design was employed in Subang Jaya, Selangor. Data were derived from document analysis and semi-structured interviews with ten informants, selected through purposive and snowball sampling, who represented institutional and societal perspectives. The data were analysed thematically to identify recurring patterns and relationships across cases. Three interconnected dimensions of vulnerability emerged: economic, social, and psychological. Economic vulnerability was manifested through income disruption, livelihood insecurity, and difficulties meeting basic needs. Social vulnerability developed through restrictions on mobility, disruption of everyday routines, altered community interaction, and constraints associated with residential conditions. Psychological vulnerability was reflected in fear, uncertainty, confinement, and pressures associated with economic and social disruption. Cross-case analysis further indicated that these dimensions did not operate independently. Economic insecurity could intensify psychological pressure, while living conditions and disrupted social routines shaped experiences of confinement and adaptation. The intensity of vulnerability also varied according to livelihood structure, socioeconomic circumstances, residential conditions, household responsibilities, adaptive capacity, and available community support. The article argues that COVID-19 generated multidimensional social vulnerability through the interaction between a common external NTS stressor and unequal capacities to absorb disruption. The findings contribute a community-level perspective to understanding the differentiated societal consequences of non-traditional security threats.

Security Studies, Sociology

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