How are the different age groups coping during the coronavirus pandemic?

Coronavirus daily tracker: April 21st 2020

Younger generations much more likely to say their physical health has improved —but their mental health is suffering.

Older people are more likely to be following government advice entirely (54%) compared with just over a third of the youngest group (34%).

Almost three in ten (28%) 16-34 year olds say that their physical health has actually improved since the outbreak of Covid-19, likely due to having more time to exercise without commuting and other social responsibilities. This falls to just one in ten amongst 35-54 year olds. Just one in ten people across the country overall say their physical health has become worse.

However, the effects on mental health are stark. More than a third (37%) of young people say their mental health has become worse over the last month as well as almost a quarter (23%) of those aged 55+.

Finances and leaving the house

In terms of disposable income, those between the ages of 35-54 have seen the biggest drop, with over half (51%) saying it has decreased, compared with 46% of those aged 16-34 and just under a third (32%) of the 55+ group. A third (34%) of those aged 54 and under say their job security has worsened.

Half of those in both the 16-34 and 35-54 age groups left their house yesterday compared with 43% of 55+ year olds.

Of those who left the house, 23% of 16-34 year olds went to the supermarket and 15% visited a shop of a different kind. Just 12% of those aged 55+ went to a supermarket yesterday.

Following government advice and watching the news

Older people are more likely to be following government advice entirely (54%) compared with just over a third of the youngest group (34%) although among the nation as a whole 44% of people are fully following government guidelines. In terms of complete self-isolation however there is not much difference across the age groups: 41% of both the youngest and oldest groups are self-isolating.

Those aged over 55 are most likely to be watching or reading the news (92%) compared with 80% of those aged 16-34. Those aged 55+ are also most likely to have watched the government’s daily briefing live (47%) however when we include those watching later more than half of people across all age groups have watched the daily upate: 54% of the nation altogether.

We will be updating our coronavirus tracker daily and weekly as this unprecedented pandemic unfolds. Please get in touch for more information