Consumer concern over COVID-19 exposure doubles in two weeks: study
36% of Brits are “extremely concerned” about the outbreak’s impact on their lifestyles.
The number of adults indicating “extreme levels” of concern about exposure to COVID-19 has more than doubled in the past few weeks, according to new research from Mintel.
Data shows that 31% of all British adults were extremely concerned about the risk of being exposed to the coronavirus at the end of March (20th March - 25th March), compared to 14% during the beginning of the month (28th Feb -13th March).
5% of Brits now also say that they are not at all worried, down from 15%.
Older men more concerned
Previously exhibiting minimal concern about COVID-19 exposure, Mintel research also revealed that older men are more worried about the disease. Between 28 February - 13 March, 6% of men aged 65 and over were “extremely worried” about exposure, but this figure soared to 31% when asked again between 20th March - 25th March.
Women overall have consistently been among the most likely to exhibit extreme concern about exposure to the virus, increasing across the two periods: 44% of females aged 65 and over are now extremely worried about exposure, up from 13% between 28 February - 13 March.
Having previously been among the least likely to be worried about exposure, the proportion of persons aged 65 and over extremely concerned about contact with the virus nearly quadrupled over the course of two weeks (38% between 20th March - 25th March, up from 10% between 28 February -13 March).
“The UK has seen a surge in the number of recorded COVID-19 cases and deaths in a very short span of time, making the severity of this situation unavoidable. It comes as little surprise, therefore, to see the sharp increase in consumer anxiety about the virus and its lifestyle implications,” Mintel’s associate director of consumer lifestyles research Jack Duckett said.
“This pandemic will result in consumers putting more emphasis on health and wellbeing in the years to come, and, hopefully, that focus will be seen across all age groups.”
Over a third of Brits are also extremely concerned about the outbreak’s impact on their lifestyles. Between 28 February - 13 March, just 14% of Brits said they were extremely concerned. But by 20th March - 25th March, this had increased to 36%.
“Despite the challenges of the lockdown and the social distancing measures introduced by the Government, Brits are generally very resilient. While levels of strain are, undoubtedly, heightened, people are finding ever-more creative ways of keeping connected and their stress levels in check. Because of this, we’re seeing a surge in popularity of digital platforms, such as Houseparty and Zoom, which allow people to connect and socialise with each other wherever they are - whether that’s having dinner, drinking or playing games together. Meanwhile, Brits of all ages are learning new dance moves in order to post videos on TikTok,” Duckett added.
Increased handwashing for most Brits
Adhering to Public Health England’s advice, between 20th March - 25th March, almost four in five (77%) Brits said they were washing their hands more often as a result of the outbreak.
Whilst hand sanitisers may be hard to track down, as of the end of March, almost half (47%) of Brits said they were using hand sanitiser more often as a result of the virus. Just under two in five (37%) of Brits have increased their use of disinfectants or other household cleaning products.
Meanwhile, just over a third (35%) of Brits have changed their holiday plans whilst over three in 10 (32%) have stocked up on groceries or other supplies and 17% have increased the amount of shopping they do online.
