Five-year trends in data show pandemic’s lasting effects on wellbeing
The analysis came as the UK marks the annual Covid-19 Day of Reflection.
People’s experiences of poor health and loneliness have not improved five years on from the first Covid-19 lockdown, figures suggest, with a charity warning “lasting” effects of the pandemic are continuing to leave “many people isolated”.
The proportion of people in Britain reporting good or very good health has declined slowly but steadily since March 2020, while the percentage of those saying they feel lonely often or some of the time has remained broadly unchanged, according to analysis of survey data.
The figures come as the UK marks the annual Covid-19 Day of Reflection on Sunday.
The first coronavirus lockdown was introduced across the country on March 23 2020, imposing widespread restrictions on travelling, socialising and leisure activities in the face of a rising number of infections and deaths.
To trace people’s experiences of wellbeing and loneliness in the period since the first lockdown, the PA news agency has analysed data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in its Opinions and Lifestyle Survey.
The survey has been carried out regularly over the past five years among a sample of individuals aged 16 and over in England, Scotland and Wales.
The data shows that:
– While more than three-quarters (77%) of those surveyed reported good or very good health at the beginning of the first lockdown, this figure started to drop in summer 2020, dipped below 70% in spring 2021, has remained below 70% since early 2023, and stood at 65% at the start of this year.
– Some 23% of people said they feel lonely often, always or some of the time at the start of the first lockdown; the figure has remained between 24% and 29% since early 2023 and stood at 25% in January-February this year.
– Half of people surveyed (50%) reported high levels of anxiety at the beginning of the first lockdown; this fell as 2020 continued, spiked at 42% in early 2021 during the second nationwide lockdown, but has since settled in the low 30s.
– The proportion of people feeling low levels of life satisfaction is similar now (9%) to March 2020 (8%), though levels rose during the autumn and winter of 2020, spiking briefly at 16% in early 2021.
Responding to the findings, the Royal Society for Public Health said persistent poor health suggests there has been a failure to learn lessons from the pandemic, and it urged a shift in approach to prevention rather than just treatment.
William Roberts, chief executive of the charity, said: “This data comes as no surprise. We know that health has been declining in recent years, with healthy life expectancy falling and health inequalities widening.
“The persistence of loneliness is worrying. Social isolation has negative impacts on both physical and mental health, and is likely driving low levels of happiness and life satisfaction. The effects of the pandemic are lasting, leaving many people isolated.
“Persistent poor health shows we have failed to learn from the Covid-19 pandemic. If we are to reverse these trends, we need to see a shift to prevention.
“Poor health is not inevitable. If we address the things that make people sick, rather than just treating the symptoms, we can achieve a healthier future for everyone.
“We cannot treat our way out of the health crisis. We need to think beyond the NHS and embed health into every area of our society.”
Jacob Lant, chief executive of National Voices – a coalition of health and social care charities – said the analysis highlights “worrying trends”.
He added: “The health inequalities surfaced during the Covid-19 pandemic are still present, and still very stark.”
In more positive findings, the survey data shows the proportion of people experiencing low levels of happiness has declined, from more than one in five (21%) at the beginning of the pandemic and close to a fifth (18%) in the second lockdown, to around one in eight (12%) by the beginning of this year.
The data also highlights the change in working practices since 2020, with just over a quarter of people (26%) now in a hybrid situation where they work from home for part of the week.
In May 2020, one in three people said they had worked entirely from home in the previous week, but this has settled at close to one in seven over the past year.
