Public attitudes to Coronavirus: January update
This report includes some high level findings from recent polling work on public attitudes to the coronavirus pandemic in Scotland.
2. Wellbeing
Levels of loneliness, anxiety and happiness
The Coronavirus pandemic is having a wide range of impacts on personal wellbeing. This section presents polling data about the impacts of the pandemic on feelings such as happiness, loneliness, optimism and anxiety.
To understand social isolation, respondents were asked how much of the time during the past week they had felt lonely. As shown in Figure 6, the proportion who felt lonely at least some of the time (around one half of respondents) has remained relatively stable in November and December.[2]
Source: YouGov weekly Scotland survey. Base (n=1009-1020)
The survey included two of the Office for National Statistics' (ONS) wellbeing questions[3] to measure levels of anxiety and happiness. Respondents were asked how anxious, and how happy, they felt 'yesterday', on a scale of 0 to 10. As shown in Figure 7, anxiety levels have remained stable and relatively high throughout November and December, with around two fifths reporting high anxiety.
Source: YouGov weekly Scotland survey. Base (n=1009-1020)
As shown in Figure 8, around half or slightly more of respondents reported high or very high levels of happiness (score of 7-10), and this has remained relatively stable in November and December. Around one in five felt low levels of happiness (score of 0-4), which has been stable since May.[4]
Source: YouGov weekly Scotland survey. Base (n=1009-1020)
Coping, worries and optimism
Respondents were asked whether they agreed or disagreed with the statement, 'I feel like I am coping okay during the current Coronavirus situation'. As shown in Figure 9, around seven in ten agreed that they feel like they are coping okay.
Source: YouGov weekly Scotland survey. Base (n=1009)
The proportion who agreed that they are worried about the Coronavirus situation has remained high yet fluctuated slightly in November and December, with particularly strong agreement at the end of December.
Source: YouGov weekly Scotland survey. Base (n=1002-1020)
Levels of optimism (measured by the proportion who agree that things will start to get better soon) increased from a quarter at the start of November to over half in the second week of December. Since then, they has decreased to around a third. Levels of optimism at the end of 2020 are at similar levels to the beginning of the March 2020 lockdown.[5]
Source: YouGov weekly Scotland survey. Base (n=1002-1020)
Childcare
With delayed returns to school announced, respondents with children aged 0-17 years were asked at the end of December the extent to which they agreed or disagreed with a range of statements about schooling and childcare. Almost two thirds of respondents agreed that they were worried about the impact of the changes to school and nursery opening on their child or children's mental health. Over half were worried about schools and nurseries staying closed beyond 18 January.
Source: YouGov weekly Scotland survey (29-30 Dec). Base Scottish parents with children aged 0-17 (n=124-178)
Contact
Email: covid-19.behaviours@gov.scot
There is a problem
Thanks for your feedback