Britons finding it harder to stay positive day-to-day during Lockdown 3
A new online survey by Ipsos looks at trends in perceptions around Coronavirus among a nationally representative sample of Britons aged 18-75 and when Britons think life will return to normal.
Staying positive – day to day and long term
- There are signs that Britons are finding it harder and harder to stay positive as we progress through the third national lockdown.
- Six in ten Britons (60%) say they are finding it harder to stay positive day-to-day compared with before the virus – an 8-point increase from November and the highest number in our series. 33% think things are about the same (down 4 points) and 6% think things are easier (down 4).
- Women are finding it harder than men (68% vs 52%) to stay positive day-to-day.
- When asked about ‘staying positive about the future’ numbers are very similar. 62% are finding it harder to stay positive about the future than before the virus (up 4 points from November). 29% say about the same (down 1). 7% say things are easier (down 4).
- Concern about the virus remains high with 70% concerned about the risk coronavirus poses to themselves and 88% concerned about the risk it poses to the country.
Life returning to normal
Just 45% of Britons expect life will return to normal this year, with people living much as they did before the coronavirus outbreak. One in three (34%) think it will be January 2022 or later. One in ten (10%) think things will never return to normal and 11% don’t know.
Younger people are somewhat more optimistic than others, with 6 in 10 of those aged 18-24 expecting life to return to normal this year.
Commenting on the findings, Ipsos Research Director Keiran Pedley said:
These numbers show that many Britons are struggling with the third national lockdown – with 6 in 10 telling us they are finding it harder to stay positive day-to-day than before the pandemic began. Concern about the virus remains high and fewer than half expect life to return to normal this year. Although there is light at the end of the tunnel, public optimism is in short supply as 2021 begins.
Technical note:
- Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,065 British adults aged 18-75. Interviews were conducted online from 8th-11th January 2021. Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.
