NHS Covid-19 app polling – 13th July 2021

Polling amongst UK adults on whether UK adults currently have, used to have, or never had the NHS Covid-19 app, and whether the public will keep it beyond the 19th July.

A third of 18-34-year-olds say they used to have the NHS Covid-19 app but have since deleted it

One in five UK adults say that they used to have the NHS Covid-19 app but have since deleted it (19%). Two in five (42%) currently have the app.
One in five who do have the app plan to delete it on ‘Freedom Day’ (20%).
The proportion who say that they had the app but have since deleted it rises to a third of those aged 18-34 (34%).
Those aged 55+ are the most likely group to say that they currently have the app (49%), but also that they never had it or don’t have a smart phone (41%).

Amid fears that millions of Britons may have to isolate after being ‘pinged’ by the NHS Covid-19 app as coronavirus cases continue to rise, the latest Savanta ComRes polling reveals that just two in five Britons currently have the app on their smartphone (42%).

A further third say that they never had the app or don’t have a smartphone (32%), while, perhaps most worryingly for the Government, one in five claim to have previously had the app but since deleted it (19%).

And with Covid-19 cases particularly prevalent among young adults who are less likely to have had their second vaccine dose, even more striking is the third of 18-34-year-olds who say that they had the app but have since deleted it (34%).

	Currently have app	Used to have app, since deleted	Never had app/don’t have smartphone
All	42%	19%	32%
18-34	34%	34%	21%
35-54	42%	19%	30%
55+	49%	6%	41%

From the polling, it is also apparent that a significant proportion of adults who do currently have the app, plan to delete it when the final restrictions are lifted on 19^th July (20%).

Again, the proportion who say this is significantly higher amongst younger Britons, with over a third of 18-34-year-olds who do currently have the app, planning to delete it to coincide with ‘Freedom Day’ (36%).

Of those who currently have the NHS Covid-19 app, over three in five (64%) say that they do not plan to delete it on 19^th July, while one in six are undecided (16%).

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

“Testing, tracing and self-isolating are all major factors in the government’s plans to remove coronavirus restrictions, and therefore this survey showing that many, particularly those who have not been fully vaccinated, plan to delete the app or have already, shows that attempts to contain the virus without restrictions are likely to be very difficult.

Of course, many have reasons for deleting the app, including fearing a lack of income if told to self-isolate. However, on this evidence, the government can continue to blame the public if, as some expect, cases, hospitalisations, and deaths from coronavirus rise in the latter half of the summer, rather than the government’s own decision to remove restrictions.”

Date Published: 13/07/2021

Categories: Politics | Public and communities

Client: Savanta ComRes

Methodology

Savanta ComRes interviewed 2,137 UK adults aged 18+ online between 9th-11th July 2021. Data were weighted to be representative of all UK adults by age, sex, region and SEG. Savanta ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.