Happiness hit rock bottom during Covid second wave

Well- being levels were lower than during the first lockdown

PEOPLE across the UK reported record low levels of happiness during the second wave of the Covid19 pandemic – while feelings of anxiety were at a record high. The findings are from an Office for National Statistics (ONS) survey that asked people about their levels of life satisfaction, happiness, anxiety, and whether their lives feel meaningful.

People were asked how happy they felt the previous day on a scale of zero to 10, from “not at all happy” to “completely happy”.

The average score across the UK between October and December last year was 7.23 – down from 7.46 over the previous three months, and the lowest number since comparable records began in 2011.

The ONS said caution should be taken when comparing scores over time as the numbers are based on a sample of the population, and are therefore only estimates.

Regardless, it said people’s reported happiness rating for October to December can still be counted among the lowest in the last decade.

The biggest change was in the proportion of people reporting “very high” levels of happiness (9-10), which dropped from 32.4% in July to September to 27.2% during the following three months.

Meanwhile, the average score for anxiety was 3.43 over the same threemonth period, with people rating how anxious they felt the previous day from zero – “not at all anxious” – to 10, or “completely anxious”.

This was up from 3.20 between July and September 2020 and the highest average on record.

Over the period, the proportion of those reporting “very low” levels of anxiety (0-1) fell from 34.7% to 30.7%.

People felt least satisfied with their lives between January and March this year, when the average score hit a record low 7.28 on a scale between “not at all satisfied” and “completely satisfied”.

Asked to what extent they felt the things they did in life were worthwhile, respondents gave an average score of 7.67 over the same period, with zero signifying “not at all worthwhile” and 10 “completely worthwhile”.

That was the lowest average score seen during the pandemic, although not a record low.

Despite this downturn in wellbeing, the survey responses suggest people’s feelings broadly bounced back as the UK started to emerge from Covid-19’s second wave.

Across all categories, average UK scores between April and June 2021 returned to levels closer to those seen pre-pandemic.

But improvements in well-being were not spread equally across all age groups.

People aged between 16 and 24 years old, 35 and 39 and 85 and over did not report any improvements between October and December and April and June.

The ONS said the impact of the pandemic on education could have particularly affected young people, coupled with the fact that youth employment rates were hit heaviest.

Youth mental health charity YoungMinds said the ONS’s findings were “really worrying”.

Tom Madders, director of campaigns at the charity, said: “In the January lockdown, some young people told us that they were deeply anxious, had started self-harming again, were having panic attacks, or were losing motivation and hope for the future.

“For those already struggling with their mental health, going without their usual support networks was particularly hard, and the impacts of this could be long-lasting.

“We also know that young people who are already experiencing inequalities, such as racial inequality and deprivation, are likely to continue to be disproportionately affected by the pandemic, as well as those who have been bereaved or experienced trauma.

“If you’re a young person reading this and are struggling to cope, you are not alone and however you are feeling right now is valid.

“It’s important to reach out for help – whether that’s to friends, family, a doctor, a counsellor, a teacher or a helpline.”