Wave 2 summary: early April 2020, a week into lockdown

6th May 2020

In Wave 2, in early April 2020, a week into lockdown, we found that:

1 in 4 adults in the UK (24%) have felt lonely

This was highest among young adults aged 18 to 24 years old (reaching 44%, up from 16% before lockdown).

Becoming ill (65%), and being separated from friend and family (65%) were still key reasons of stress, with almost 1 in 2 people (47%) also worried about someone who is particularly vulnerable.

Two thirds (67%) of young adults (e.g. 18 to 24 years olds) worried about their career or education being interrupted.

Wave 2 cover

1 in 5 people (20%) drunk more alcohol to cope with stress - this was more common among people in higher social grades.

On a positive note, many more people than in mid-March felt well informed about the need for measures to control the spread of the outbreak (82%, up from 63%), said they have everything they need to manage (65%, up from 44%) and felt they can make a positive contribution (71%, up from 49%).

However, the proportion not coping well was much higher for those who are unemployed (25%) or a full-time student (24%), than for anyone in work (13%) or the population as a whole (13%).

Nearly 2 in 3 people (63%) said contacting family (via phone or video chat) was a key way helping them cope.

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