Coronavirus (COVID-19): public attitudes and behaviours - April update

Footnotes

1. See Annex A for research background and methods and Annex B for a more detailed timeline.

2. Note for interpretation: where the results do not sum 100%, this may be due to computer rounding.

3. Note that people can experience lower moods in the winter months (NHS), so more negative feelings towards life in January may be in keeping with typical trends for this time of year. However, UCL's COVID-19 Social Study did also find that anxiety and depression were particularly high in December 2021, and happiness and life satisfaction were the lowest they had reached since March 2021 (UCL).

4. See the October and December 2021 data tables for the breakdown of the rankings, 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd on the Scottish Government website.

5. YouGov survey question phrasing: 'Thinking about the year ahead (from now until October/December 2022), which of the following are you most concerned about? Please select the top three, where 1 is your biggest concern, 2 your second biggest and 3 your third biggest. (Please drag and drop the options in order into the boxes below, or select the 'Don't know' option).'

6. ONS, 2020 Respondents are asked 'Overall, how anxious did you feel yesterday?' and are asked to respond on a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 is "not at all" and 10 is "completely". The Annual Population Survey (APS) is a continuous household survey, covering the UK. It uses data from two waves of the main Labour Force Survey (LFS). The data comprise 12 months of survey data and are disseminated quarterly. The achieved sample size is approximately 320,000 respondents.

7. Public attitudes to coronavirus: April summary - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

8. Respondents were asked to select one option which best described their work situation. Working from home included 'working from home all of the time' and 'working from home some of the time'. Working at a workplace included those where it is not possible to work from home. For a more detailed breakdown of respondents' working situation please see the published data tables: Public attitudes to coronavirus: tracker - data tables - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

9. See gov.scot for details

10. This is against the backdrop of over 20 UK energy companies closing in autumn/winter 2021 (Ofgem) associated with rising wholesale energy prices.

11. See in Public attitudes to Coronavirus: November update (www.gov.scot)

12. For the measures that were introduced in Scotland from 26/27 December see gov.scot, and for details of the 'Plan B' response in England see gov.uk

13. The question was at first generic, referring to new strains in general. From 14-15 Dec, the question specifically refers to the new Omicron strain and talks about the next few weeks rather than months as before.

14. Once again, from 14-15 December, the question changed from asking about new variants in a general sense to asking about the new variant: Omicron.

15. This included café, bar, restaurant or pub.

16. Respondents were asked 'Which, if any, of the following MOST encourage YOU to stick to restrictions, do testing and follow other protective measures? (Please select all that apply)'.

17. Self-Isolation and testing changes - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

18. Note question wording changed from 'Thinking about the tests available in this way that you have ordered or collected, and not including any tests that have been provided by / collected in your workplace….Which of the following best describes you in relation to the most recent one of these tests you have used?' to 'Thinking about the LAST lateral flow/antigen test you did in the past week…Which of the following best describes you in relation to that test?' on 4-5 January.

19. This question was asked from October through to January, however the question wording change from 4-5 January as a result of changes to capacity limits in place from 28 December. The rules changed from 500+ unseated indoors and 10,000+ seated indoors, 4000+ outdoors unseated and 10,000+ outdoors seated, to up to 100 unseated and up to 200 seated indoors and up to 500 outdoors.

20. Public Health Scotland COVID-19 Vaccination in Scotland COVID-19 Daily Dashboard | Tableau Public

21. NHS Scotland Scotland's Autumn and Winter Vaccination Strategy, September 2021 Scotland's Autumn and Winter Vaccination Strategy (www.gov.scot)

22. Please note the small sample sizes for these questions, as indicated in the following charts.

23. Respondents were given the following information before they were asked if they support/oppose the scheme: 'The Scottish Government introduced a Covid certification scheme (also known as a "Covid passport") for entry to nightclubs / other late night venues with music, dancing and alcohol and large events (that is unseated indoor live events with more than 500 people in the audience, unseated outdoor live events with more than 4,000 people in the audience, and any event that has more than 10,000 people in attendance). People visiting these venues or attending events of this size either have to show proof that they are fully vaccinated or prove that they are exempt from vaccination or testing before entering. The easiest way of proving vaccine certification is to show a QR code on the Covid Status app, but you can also download a certificate or obtain a letter by visiting nhsinform.scot. Proof of a negative lateral flow test must take the form of an email from NHS COVID-19 Notification or a text message from NHS Result.' At 14-15 December, the scheme also ncluded proof of a negative lateral flow test within the preceding 24 hours.

24. Public Health Scotland COVID-19 Statistical Report - 8 September 2021 - COVID-19 statistical report - Publications - Public Health Scotland

25. Public Health Scotland COVID-19 statistical report - 7 January 2022 - COVID-19 statistical report - Publications - Public Health Scotland

26. Coronavirus (COVID-19) update: First Minister's statement – 14 September 2021 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

27. If respondents had more than one child they were asked to respond in relation to their eldest child.