Covid & Xmas polling – October 2021

Polling amongst UK adults on the prospect of further Covid lockdowns in 2021, whether UK adults believe the worst of the pandemic is behind us or ahead of us, and whether people are looking forward to Xmas.

Half of UK adults expect further Covid lockdowns in 2021 – Savanta ComRes

Half UK adults think there will be further Covid lockdowns in 2021 (49%), with a third saying that there will not be (33%)
Three-quarters are concerned about another wave of coronavirus this winter (74%). Concern is highest amongst those aged 55+ (78%)
But, over half say the worst of Covid is behind us (55%), while one in five say the worst is yet to come (19%)
Three in ten say that another lockdown would show that the vaccine rollout has been a failure (28%)
But, three in five say a firebreak lockdown would be effective at relieving pressure on the NHS (58%)

New polling by Savanta ComRes finds that three-quarters of UK adults overall are concerned (74%) about another wave of coronavirus this winter, with just one in five saying they are not concerned (22%).

However, just one in five say that the worst of the pandemic is yet to come (19%), with over half saying that the worst of coronavirus is now behind us (55%). The proportion who say the worst of the pandemic is behind us rises to two-thirds of 2019 Conservative voters (66%).

Those aged 18-34 are significantly more likely to say that the worst of the pandemic is ahead of us (25%) than those aged 55+ (14%).

Despite this, half of UK adults expect there to be further coronavirus lockdowns in 2021 (49%), while a third believe that there will not be further restrictions (33%).

Younger adults (18-34) are the most likely to say that they expect further lockdowns in 2021 (52%), compared to under half of those aged 55+ (45%).

Three in ten UK adults overall say that a ‘firebreak’ lockdown this winter would show that the vaccination rollout has been a failure (28%), while the majority say that it would not show this (53%).

The proportion who say it would show that the vaccine rollout has been a failure rises to two in five of those aged 18-34 (38%) and a third of 2019 Labour voters (32%). This is compared to around one in five of those aged 55+ (18%) and 2019 Conservative voters (22%).

When polled between 8^th-10^th October, over half said they would support an October ‘firebreak’ lockdown if Covid hospital admissions remain high (55%). Around one in five say that they would oppose it (18%).

Support amongst those aged 35-54 (57%) and those aged 55+ (57%) was slightly higher those aged 18-34 (52%), with almost identical levels of opposition across different age groups (18% 18-34, 18% 35-54, 17% 55+).

Commenting on the findings, Chris Hopkins, Political Research Director at Savanta ComRes says,

“While it may feel to many that the UK is out of the woods with coronavirus, there is still an underlying feeling – or perhaps fear – among the public that there are more restrictions, including lockdowns, to come. That, coupled with a small but significant proportion who feel that the worst of the pandemic is still ahead of us, shows that trust in the vaccine rollout may still be undermined if the UK enters further restrictions during a winter that will be inevitably challenging for the NHS.”

Date Published: 18/10/2021

Categories: Public and communities

Client: Savanta ComRes

Methodology

Savanta ComRes interviewed 2,103 UK adults online between 8th and 10th October 2021. Data were weighted by age, sex, region, and SEG. Savanta ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.