What’s your lockdown tribe? British split into those who accept, suffer or resist
Analysis by Kings College has found that there are three groups who are all dealing with strict social distancing measures differently
By Hayley Dixon
Daily Telegraph, 27 April 2020 • 6:30am
The coronavirus pandemic has split the British public into three groups - those who are accepting, suffering or resisting lockdown, research has found.
Analysis from Kings College found that the largest group, just under 48 per cent of the UK, have accepted the new reality under social distancing measures and only a small number of them – 12pc – are losing sleep over the pandemic.
The accepting are the most likely to support the lockdown and extra police powers and the majority at 87pc are following the lockdown rules nearly all of the time. They are the least likely group to face financial difficulties.
The second largest group are the suffering, accounting for almost 44pc of the population, almost all of whom are feeling more anxious and depressed since lockdown began.
The suffering are the most likely to lose sleep over the virus, and a third said that they are constantly thinking about it. In turn, they show the highest compliance rates with lockdown measure at 93pc.
In contrast only 49 per cent of the resisting group - which makes up 9pc of the population - are following the rules and only half support the conditions that have been imposed to control the spread of the virus.
Those resisting are also much more likely to be using alternative therapies which are not recommended, such as drinking ginger tea (55pc) and using homeopathic remedies (50pc).
More than half of those resisting think “too much fuss is being made about the risk of coronavirus”, compared with only 14% of the UK population as a whole.
They are also most likely to suffer financially from the impact of the crisis, the survey of 2,250 residents by Ipsos Mori found.
Analysis showed that 16- to 24-year-olds are most likely to be resisting while 55- to 75-year-olds are most likely to be accepting.
The resisting group was more likely to have voted Labour and Remain in the referendum, whilst those who were accepting were more likely to be Conservative voting Brexiteers.
Women are finding the lockdown harder than men, accounting for the majority of those suffering at 64pc. Men make up the same percentage in the resisting group.
Dr Daniel Allington, Senior Lecturer in Social and Cultural Artificial Intelligence at King’s College London, said: “Although the great majority of UK residents are acting very responsibly, this doesn’t mean that we’re all feeling fine.
“The measures being taken to combat coronavirus are much tougher on some people than they are on others, and it is clear that the overall situation is taking a heavy toll on large numbers of people – many of whom may find themselves in urgent need of support as the lockdown and the pandemic drag on.
“Moreover, there are some people who don’t seem to see the need for the measures currently being taken, and as a result appear reluctant to follow the rules.”