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

4. New variant

This section covers attitudes and behaviours around the emergence of new strains. Between September to November 2021, respondents were asked about new variants in a general sense. In November 2021, cases of a new variant, Omicron, started to appear in Scotland. The new variant was spreading faster than previous strains. By mid-December 2021, Omicron had become the dominant variant in Scotland, meaning more people were being infected with Omicron than with other strains of the Coronavirus.

Over half of respondents (55%-69%) agreed that they were worried about the emergence of new strains and what the implications may be (Figure 29).^[13] More respondents (69%) expressed worry about new strains in a general sense in September. This question was not asked in November when cases of a new variant, Omicron, started to appear in Scotland. When asked about worry toward the Omicron variant after it took hold in the UK, worry was slightly lesser: with 62% of respondents saying they were worried in mid-December, down to 55% by January. However, worry around (new) variants still remained high.

Source: YouGov Scotland Survey. Base: Adults (n=1012-1022)

Between 36% and 49% of respondents said they were concerned that vaccines will not work against new strains (Figure 30).^[14] Concern was greatest at 30 November-1 December, with just under half (49%) saying they were concerned. This was at the time when Omicron became known as a variant of concern and cases started to appear in Scotland. This development sped up the Covid booster jab rollout which was then offered to all adults across Scotland. However this concern then declined, and by 4-5 January just over a third (36%) of respondents agreed they were concerned about the effectiveness of vaccines against the new variant.

Source: YouGov Scotland Survey. Base: Adults (n=1001-1022)

Worry about impacts of the new strain: Omicron

More respondents expressed worry about the impact the new strain, Omicron, may have on businesses than on the NHS (Figure 31). Around 7 in 10 respondents (71% in December, 67% in January) were worried about the negative impact the new strain could have on businesses and services. Meanwhile 3 in 5 respondents (61%) at 14-15 December and at 4-5 January agreed that they feared the NHS would not be able to cope with the increased demands on beds and staff resulting from the new strain (Omicron). The responses to both statements show that most people were worried about the various negative impacts that the new strain could bring.

Source: YouGov Scotland Survey. Base: Adults (n=1012-1022)

Behaviour change since Omicron

At 14-15 December, respondents were told the following: 'As a reminder, since November, the existence of a new strain of the virus, known as Omicron, has been reported. The new strain is believed to be more infectious than the Delta strain, although there is a lot about the strain that we still don't know. In general, have reports of the new strain made you more or less careful in what you do, or has it made no difference?'

Figure 32 shows that just over half of respondents (53%) said that news of the new strain Omicron made them 'much more' or 'a little more' careful in what they do. 2 in 5 respondents (42%) said that it 'made no difference' to how careful they were.

Source: YouGov Scotland Survey. Base: Adults (n=1022)